Like A Riceball In A Fruits Basket
by Coco Gash Jirachi
Summary: AU. Based loosely off of Fruits Basket. Jack Atlas is a well-off boy who has moved out on his own after the death of his mother. His world is soon turned completely upside-down when he's taken in by the mysterious Fudo family... "When I was a little boy, I stuck out like a riceball in a Fruits Basket." Eventual JackxYusei, with other pairings along the way.
1. Chapter 1: Breakfast With Yusei

_**Like A Riceball In A Fruits Basket**_

 _ **By Coco Gash Jirachi**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own 5D's!**_

 _ **Summary: AU. Based loosely off of Fruits Basket. Jack Atlas is a well-off boy who has moved out on his own after the death of his mother. His world is soon turned completely upside-down when he's taken in by the mysterious Fudo family... "When I was a little boy, I stuck out like a riceball in a Fruits Basket." Eventual JackxYusei, with other pairings along the way.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: Breakfast With Yusei**_

* * *

Annoyed with the beeping of his wristwatch alarm directly in his ear, Jack cracked open his eyes and lifted his wrist to his eyes.

 _'Seven thirty... I've got an hour to get to school.'_

Jack slunk out of his sleeping bag and stretched, arching his back and letting it crack in a few places to help rid of the kinks from sleeping in a tent. He then landed his eyes on a golden picture frame, smiled, and picked it up with his right hand. "Good morning, Mama." he said, gazing into the eyes of the woman smiling within the photograph; his exact copy. Or to be more precise, he was her exact copy.

Jack then got his morning started by changing out of his light turquoise pajamas and into his school uniform; as he buttoned his dress shirt, he hoped that his homeroom teacher would have his new blazer by that morning. He tied his blue tie as best as he could on his own, and then dug through a plastic shopping bag he had set by the tent door. He took out three plastic-wrapped riceballs; they were plain and cold, but they would have to do, as they were all he could afford.

 _'I need coffee...'_ he thought, needing to make due with his bottled water in the meantime.

It was within twenty minutes of waking up that Jack stood outside of his tent, staring up at the clear, cloudless blue sky and the glorious sun that came along with it. He smiled, blocking the strong sunlight from his eyes; appreciating the beautiful morning in all of its glory, as he remembered his mother doing. He then bent back inside of his tent and grabbed his backpack, laying his eyes on the photograph that now laid against his pillow.

"I'm off to school now, Mama," Jack said. "I'll be home tonight, okay?"

He then locked the tent door closed with a combination lock and set off through the woods.

* * *

Jack lived in a town not far from a big city called Neo-Domino. It was peaceful and a bit secluded in some places, but it had suited his family just fine. Especially when it had came to him and his mother. When Jack was young he experienced severe bouts of asthma that were caused by his bronchial tubes being weak. He had mostly grown out of it, thanks to the lovely air of a somewhat-small town as opposed to the air of a big city like Neo-Domino. The most he had to deal with as a teenager were his needing an asthma inhaler if he were too out of breath or couldn't stop coughing.

His mother was once a smoker, and had quit cold turkey when she was pregnant with him. She hadn't ever had the best health because of it, but the cleaner air outside of a city did wonders for the both of them.

 _ **"If it hadn't been for you, I might not have quit in time."**_

Jack felt the tears burning behind his eyes as her voice went through his head.

 _ **"If I hadn't noticed I was pregnant, you would have been born with worse asthma. If it weren't for you, my baby boy, I may not have gotten to be who I am today. You helped me quit and keep my health from getting any worse. That's something I can never repay you for."**_

As he was able to keep his crying at bay and pull himself together, a heavenly scent met his nostrils. His eyes popped open quick - when had he even closed them in the first place? - and his head turned and saw something. Through a few trees and down a ledge was a quaint, very classic looking Japanese-styled house.

 _'With the sliding paper doors and everything,'_ Jack found himself thinking.

Not one to hesitate, he fearlessly semi-slid, semi-walked down the ledge, not giving a hoot if his school pants were dirtied before he got to school. He approached and walked by the house, his nostrils flaring as he wondered aloud, "What is that wonderful smell?..."

"That would be breakfast."

Jack, though a bit startled at the sudden voice, soon looked to one of the now-open sliding paper doors and spotted a familiar boy wearing a familiar school uniform and an apron folded over his arm. A boy named Yusei Fudo. A boy with spiky black hair and gold highlights, with eyes the deepest of ocean blues Jack had ever seen.

"Not to be rude or anything, Sempai," Yusei began, standing at the open door with a look of confusion on his face as he stared down at Jack. "But what brings you around here?"

"I live nearby." Jack replied without a stutter in his voice. "I felt like taking a walk before school. I've been in these woods before... but I've never seen this house here."

"Yeah, it's a little secluded around here." Yusei responded. "Would you like to come inside? I think there may be leftovers from breakfast."

Before Jack could respond, his stomach growled. Riceballs and water didn't cut it for meals when it came to him. He was a growing boy, after all. "That sounds great, thank you..." he said with a hand laying on his growling abdomen.

"Well then, come on in." Yusei said with a smile.

Jack nodded and stepped up onto the wooden porch, slipped off his shoes and was let inside by Yusei, who picked up his shoes. "I'll go put these by the front door for when we leave, and then I'll pop into the kitchen and see what I can find for you. Would you prefer a drink? We've got coffee, tea, milk, I think some juice..."

"Coffee would be great, thanks." Jack said.

"Okay, Sempai." Yusei responded with a nod. "Make yourself at home. I'll be right back." He then walked down into a hallway and as Jack seated himself down at the table on a tatami mat - also very classically Japanese, he noted - he heard Yusei call, **_"Onee-chan! Did you put the leftovers away yet?!"_**

 _ **"No, I'm busy doing bathroom things! I'll get to them in a second!"**_ a strong, feminine voice responded.

 _ **"No need, I got it! One of my classmates is here and I'm going to feed him!"**_

 _ **"Ooooooh, a classmate?! I'll be out to meet him in un momento!~"**_

 _ **"Onee-chan, don't embarrass me!"**_

Jack chuckled a little at their sibling banter - _'They must be siblings,'_ he concluded - and shrugged his backpack off, placing it beside him on the floor. He picked his head up and looked around a little. The house seemed well-kept, especially when two of its occupants were teenagers. There were a few picture frames hung up around the dining room, a few contained photographs of people he couldn't quite make out, and others were of paintings or sketches or photographs of landscapes. He noticed an open newspaper at the other end of the table and a mug of what he thought was coffee, given the faint scent he could smell from where he sat. He could feel his caffeine headache all over again just from its scent.

 _'At least I don't need to go buy myself a cup before school now...'_ he thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yusei pass by the doorway and through the other doorway in the hallway. The way to the kitchen, he assumed. He looked over his shoulder to the door and simply watched the outside. He could hear the chirping of birds, a cricket or two, and the rustling leaves on the trees as a light gust of wind blew through the air. He slipped his eyes closed and listened, becoming entranced by the simple sounds of beautiful, glorious nature. He could even smell the sunshine.

"Here we are,"

Jack was once again only slightly surprised by the sudden sound of Yusei's voice. He turned around just as Yusei set down a tray on the table and began taking things off of it.

"Sorry if everything's a little cold," Yusei said. "Our microwave is busted and we haven't had the time to replace it yet."

"That's alright," Jack responded. "It was nice enough of you to offer me food in the first place."

"Well, Hikaru and I try to offer something to our guests." Yusei said, setting down a mug on the table in front of Jack. "Even if they're here for ten minutes, we tend to be very formal and ask them to come in and sit with us for tea."

"My mother does the same thing," Jack said, without correcting himself after it came out. "That sort of thing makes a good host, if you ask me."

"Thank you, Sempai." Yusei replied, standing up and smoothing out his apron - he must have put it back on for handling the food, Jack figured - before he turned to walk to the other end of the table.

"Please, there's no need to call me 'Sempai'." Jack said with a slight roll of his eyes that he was glad Yusei hadn't seen, as he still had his back to him. "We're in the same grade, and it's not really like I've taken you under my wing or anything." Yusei untied and took off his apron, sitting down as Jack added, "You can just call me Jack, okay?"

"Okay then." Yusei said with an understanding nod, leaning his head against his left hand. "In that case, you can call me Yusei, so I can reciprocate being on a first-name basis with you."

"Sounds fair to me." Jack said, then he bowed his head and placed his hands together. " _Itadakimasu._ " He then picked up his fork and took a bite of the omelet in front of him. He blinked as he chewed and swallowed it before saying, "Wow, that's my favorite omelet."

"Is it?" Yusei asked with a blink. "It's my favorite, too."

Yusei wasn't surprised when Jack began to eat and grow quiet. He knew his elder classmate must have been hungry, especially given the rather loud growls he'd heard from his stomach. So he took to reading the newspaper and sipping his coffee contentedly again, happy to hear the sound of the birds singing outside, thanks to the open door.

Jack was quiet while he ate, but finished quickly, surprising even himself. "Wow, I really was hungry..." he said a bit sheepishly.

"I thought you were," Yusei said with his mug in his hand. "You looked a little famished when I laid my eyes on you."

"Either way, thanks a lot for the food." Jack said, picking up his previously untouched coffee mug. "Did you make it yourself?"

"No," Yusei shook his head. "My sister and I do our cooking together, so it's always a joint effort."

"Sister?" Jack said after taking a sip of coffee. "I guess that's who you were shouting at before then..."

"Yeah, she can be a little loud sometimes..." Yusei said with a somewhat nervous smile and a sweat-drop. "But she means well. She's actually my older twin sister."

"Oh, you're a twin?" Jack asked. "I guess I never knew that, or even the fact that you have a sister, saying as we go to an all-boys school."

"I get that a lot nowadays," Yusei responded. "Especially since we just moved here from the city. Not a lot of people know us yet."

"Huh, I thought you were new around here." Jack said. "I hadn't recognized you from middle school, or even elementary school." He set down his mug. "If you moved here from the city, this must be a huge transition for you, then."

"No, not really." Yusei replied, tucking a bit of his hair behind his ear. "I didn't really like it in the city. This town seems to suit me better. I haven't been getting as sick as often, either. The air seems to be healthier and cleaner here than in the city."

"It is," Jack nodded in agreement.

"You know, this is kind of nice." Yusei said. "Would you like to come back over here after school?"

Jack set his mug down and with an apologetic look said, "I'm sorry, I guess you didn't know this, but I have a part-time job. I have work until late tonight."

Yusei blinked. "A job? Is it to pay for your tuition?"

"No, I have a job because I want a job." Jack said. "I took it because I don't want to be one of those rich kids who lives off of Daddy's money. I feel better earning it the hard way, you know?"

"I don't think I do," Yusei said with an apologetic tone.

 ** _"Hey, Twinny-chan! Why the long face?!"_**

Jack blinked in surprise when a girl had flung her arms around Yusei's body. He was a little shocked at how he managed to still sit upright.

"Hey c'mon, what's the matta with ya this mornin'?" the girl asked, one of her hands in a fist and messing up Yusei's spikes.

"Hikaru, if you were _listening_ ," Yusei began to say, struggling to breathe a bit, it seemed. "We have a _guest_ , remember?!"

" _Eh?_ " The girl, identified as Hikaru, picked her head up and looked across the table at the blonde-haired boy. With a cheeky grin, she then asked, "That's not who I think it is, is he, Twinny-chan?"

"Just who do you _think_ he is?" Yusei asked, managing to free himself from her grasp.

"Looks a lot like the boy the girls are always fawning over," Hikaru said, giving Jack a good look-over. "Is he the one they call the King?"

"Well actually, not just the girls tend to call me that." Jack said. "I was at the top of my class in everything since middle school, so the nickname came from mainly my achievements, not just my gorgeous complexion."

"Oh, so you're one of those boys who is sexy and they know it?" Hikaru asked, leaning one of her arms on Yusei's head now. "Like the kind of player guys who flaunts around their looks and has to turn down girls left and right?"

"Hikaru," Yusei said in a tone that took on that of anger, locking his eyes with her eyes; eyes that were identical to his. "Stop jumping to conclusions. Jack just so happens to be a very nice, very polite boy. He even loved our cooking."

With a blink and a slight gleam in her eyes, Hikaru turned her head toward Jack with a grin again and said, "Really now?"

"Yeah," Jack replied with a sweat-drop. He then noticed Yusei sending him an apologetic facial expression, as if to tell him mentally, _'See? I told you she's a handful!'_

"Well then," Hikaru said with a flick of her long, black hair streaked with red. "Sounds like the two of us could get along, then."

"We should probably get on our way soon, Onee-chan." Yusei said.

" _Hm?_ " Hikaru blinked. "Oh, yeah. Right. School and stuff."

With a frustrated sigh and his eyes slipping closed, Yusei said, " _God_ , you are such a handful..."

With fifteen minutes to get to school before the warning bell, the trio was soon out the door within minutes. Of course, Jack had made sure to finish off his coffee so it wouldn't go to waste. And mainly because he needed it.

"So, you're one of Yusei's classmates, right?" Hikaru began after she closed the door behind the three. She smoothed out her school attire; a white collared shirt with a red scarf-like tie tied into a bow, and a red plaid skirt. "Let's start over. I'm Hikaru Fudo, his twin sister. I go to the sister school you guys attend; the all-girl school just next door."

"I'm Jack Atlas." Jack replied. "Yusei and I were assigned to the same classes last month."

"So, you're the ladies' man the girls keep fawning over in my school then, right?" Hikaru asked as Yusei began to lead everyone through a path in the forest. "They call you King Jack, and they call Yusei the Prince."

"Yeah, I've got a sort of charm about me that most girls find irresistible." Jack said. "I can't say why exactly, though, but I think I get it from my mother."

"You got a hot mama, Atlas?" Hikaru asked in a tone that sounded teasing.

With a sweat-drop and a slight stutter, Jack said, "Well, I, uh... I think she's beautiful. And not just because I look just like her. She's... elegant."

"Hikaru, don't make Jack uncomfortable." Yusei said with a look over his shoulder. "Know your boundaries, remember? You've got to behave yourself."

" _Bleh_ , Twinny-chan, you're _no fun_." Hikaru said, sticking out her tongue.

"So, when did you move here?" Jack asked, catching up to and walking next to Yusei.

"Just over the summer," Yusei said. "We were offered scholarships to school here, and we tried commuting from the city at first, but that turned out to be tedious, tiring and bothersome. So here we are now." He turned his head to the right to look at Jack. "So, I'm guessing you live nearby, Jack?" Yusei asked. "Where exactly?"

"Well, over off to the right of the house." Jack said. "I was just taking a walk in the woods before school this morning."

"Interesting," Hikaru said rather quietly, as if to herself, while twirling a lock of hair by her face around her right index finger.

"Interesting how?" Jack questioned.

"Nothing really, I was just talking to myself." Hikaru said.

"She does that a lot." Yusei replied.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

Hey guys! That was the first installment of the story I've been working on for the last few years. It's kind of a little pet project, since it's not yet complete and I work on it on and off as the inspiration hits me. If anyone is still around who remembers my series starting with Silver Lining (which I took down a while back after being unable to continue it) this story will contain the Fudo family OCs that I share with Dark Angel Of Wind.

I currently have 17 finished chapters and am still working on chapter 18, so I have a way's to go with continuing and with posting. I just don't want to post too fast though and end up running out of material too quickly. So for now I'm going to space things out.

Anyways, thanks so much for reading. If any readers remember the Fudo family, I hope you'll enjoy seeing them return in my story. I'm especially having fun with Hikaru again, since I love the dynamic between her and Yusei. :3

Thanks again for reading, and I look forward to your feedback!


	2. Chapter 2: Found In The Forest

_**Chapter 2: Found In The Forest**_

* * *

The walk to school was rather casual, filled with casual conversations and the occasional banter between Yusei and Hikaru. Jack would laugh a bit at it, and aside from that, there wasn't anything really significant.

"Hey, Jack,"

Jack turned his head to where Yusei was, but found him not to be there. He turned his head the other way, looked behind him to also see Hikaru gone, before the hair on top of his head was grabbed and pulled upward. Standing up on a low, stone wall along the sidewalk up to the school gates and property were none other than the Fudo twins themselves. Hikaru, the one who had grasped his hair, grinned.

"How long has it been since you've done something like this?" Yusei asked.

"Like what?" Jack asked as Hikaru let him go. "What do you mean?"

"You know," Hikaru began, leading off on the wall with her arms out for balance. "This."

" _Uh..._ " Jack sweat-dropped as his head turned to keep his eyes on her as she continued onward. "Why are you doing something like this in the first place?"

"Because we feel like it." Yusei said with a smile. "It's a beautiful day, it's a Friday, and it's a good, care-free way to start off the morning. You have to have fun sometimes, right? So why not seize the day while you can? _Carpe diem_ , as they say."

Jack blinked when Yusei extended out his peach-tan hand.

"Why not give it a try, Jack?"

Jack stared at Yusei's hand. A thousand thoughts ran through his head.

 _'I did make a promise... a promise to appreciate everything... because Mama isn't here to appreciate things the way she used to... and she taught me how to appreciate everything the same.'_ Jack thought, his amethyst eyes soft, and his eyebrows twitching in thought. _'Perhaps...'_ He reached his porcelain-like, pale hand out towards Yusei's. _'Perhaps that also means being able to have fun and take pleasure in the little things that come with it, like walking along a stone wall like I when I was a child, with her right by my side...'_

He took Yusei's hand without a second thought and was soon pulled up onto the wall. He followed behind Yusei, spreading his arms out, and at first kept his eyes staring at his feet, making sure he wouldn't take a misstep.

"Don't focus on your feet," Yusei said with his head turned over his shoulder at Jack, at yet still somehow able to continue forwards without a single thought. "Focus on looking ahead of yourself, and don't be afraid. If you fall, I'll catch you. Alright?"

Jack didn't look Yusei in the eye as he picked his head back up, but he nodded. Soon enough, because it was right ahead of him, he focused on the back of Yusei's head. Before he knew it, there was even a very slight skip in his steps. For a moment, he could swear he saw his mother out of the corner of his eye, walking beside him on the sidewalk, but even he knew it had to be merely his mind playing tricks on him.

"Hey,"

Jack looked past Yusei and saw Hikaru at the end of the wall, standing there with her arms crossed and what he figured by now was her signature grin on her face.

"You look happier now, Atlas." Hikaru said, flashing him a peace sign.

"Don't call me that," Jack said as he and Yusei came to a halt. "Just call me Jack."

"Eh, fine, whatever." Hikaru replied before she turned and jumped down. "C'mon, you two, let's get going before we're late!"

The two boys jumped down and followed after her, and soon a female voice calling, _**"Jack! Jaaaaaaack!"**_ was heard. Jack lifted his head up and landed his eyes on none other then his best friend, Carly Nagisa, who normally would have been waving at him if it weren't for the two styrofoam cups of coffee she were holding.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Hikaru teased with a playful elbow in Jack's direction.

Though he turned pink at that accusation, Jack replied with, "No, we're just platonic friends. Besides, unless I've got this whole anatomy thing wrong, it'd be pretty hard for a guy to date a lesbian. None the less anyone with a penis."

"Nah nah, I get'cha, Blondie," Hikaru said with a wave of her hand. "Besides, I've seen that girl - Nagisa's her name, right? - around school before, mainly promoting the GSA and what not."

"I better go see her before the warning bell," Jack said, giving the twins a look.

"No problem, Jack. I'll meet you by the gate, so we can walk to class together." Yusei said with a smile.

"Okay." Jack said with a nod. He looked at Hikaru and said, "It was nice to meet you." before he bowed politely and took a small jog towards his awaiting friend.

* * *

"Good morning, Jack!" Carly greeted with a wide smile and holding out the coffee in her left hand.

"You really didn't have to do that, Carly," Jack said with a smile, but nonetheless took the offered beverage.

"I know, but I figured you might need the caffeine." Carly responded with a sheepish smile. "Say, who are those two anyway?" she asked, looking around Jack and at the twins who were exchanging their goodbyes and giving one another a hug. "I think I've seen that girl around school before."

"Those would be the Fudo twins," Jack responded, looking over his shoulder. "They transferred here over the summer. They're in the same grade as me."

"Oh," Carly said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "So he's the one the other girls call the Prince, like how they call you the King."

"I guess so." Jack said, taking a long, appreciative drink from the coffee cup.

"How do you know them?" Carly asked, looking up at Jack.

"Yusei's in my class, and I sort of came across their house when I was walking through the woods this morning." Jack replied.

Carly, with her silver eyes softening, looked up at Jack and asked, "The same woods you've been camping out in for the past week?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "I might take down my tent and set it up somewhere else tomorrow, just in case they come across it. Who knows what they might do; they might think I'm a hobo or something until they find out it's just me. If they think I'm a hobo, they might call the cops."

"I still wish you'd come live with me," Carly said, laying her free hand on Jack's upper arm. "My dad wouldn't mind since I'm a lesbian, my mom really likes you because you're so polite, and we've been platonic friends ever since you were still just a little baby-faced middle schooler."

"I don't know..." Jack said. "It'd feel like an inconvenience for you and your parents."

"Come on, Jack, it is just the three of us." Carly said, letting her hand down. "We have a guest bedroom and everything."

Jack looked down and stared at the lid on his coffee cup. "I think I may hold out on living somewhere until I have enough saved up for my own apartment, like I planned."

With a soft sigh and an understanding look, Carly quietly said, "Well, alright Jack... but you know I won't stop on insisting."

"I know you won't." Jack replied.

"But promise me something," Carly said, lifting her gaze to Jack's. "If you don't find somewhere to live before winter comes and the weather gets cold, you'll come to live with us, okay? I just..." She looked down. "I love you like the little brother never I had. I just wouldn't be able to stand the thought of you being left out all alone in the cold..."

With sad eyes, Jack somehow managed to smile. "I love you very much, Carly." The blackette picked her head up and looked back up at him. "You have a heart of gold, and you've always been a superb role-model in my life."

With a small smile, Carly said, "I'm your onee-chan, that's my job."

 _ **Ding dong, ding dong!**_

 _ **Dong ding, dong ding!**_

"Oh, there's the bell!" Carly said before she smiled and gave Jack a one-armed hug, who reciprocated it with one arm as well, saying as they both had their coffees. "I'll see you at lunch!" she said after she pulled away and bolted towards the girls school gate, passing by Yusei as he quickly walked away from the girls school entrance, having parted ways with Hikaru moments ago. "Have a good day, Jack!" she called with a wave before she turned to face forward.

"You too, Carly!" Jack called back, waving his free hand for a moment.

"Shall we head to class now, Jack?" Yusei asked once he reached the elder.

"Yeah, let's go." Jack responded.

"It was awfully nice of Nagisa-san to get you coffee this morning," Yusei said as the two headed through the gates. "Does she do that for you often?"

"Every now and then," Jack said. "Some mornings we have coffee before school together."

"How come you didn't have it at home this morning?" Yusei inquired.

"Our coffee maker broke," Jack responded, thinking on his feet fluidly. "We just haven't replaced it yet." Jack hoped he would buy it; things broke every day, and maybe Yusei would think it was a coincidence that his microwave and Jack's coffee maker were simply broken at the same time. It's not like breaking something can be planned. Unless it was intentional, of course.

"Oh, here," Yusei pulled off his backpack, reached into it and pulled out a bento. "I put together a lunch for you when I was getting your breakfast ready. I noticed you usually tend to go get something from the cafeteria or buy things from convenient stores before school. I thought a little more home-cooked food would be good for you."

Jack blinked, but smiled none the less. "Thank you, Yusei. You're very kind."

"I have a feeling that the two of us will become fast friends." Yusei responded.

With a genuine smile, Jack said the thought that came into his mind aloud. "So do I."

* * *

That day proved to be a rather good day from the start. Jack had a few quizzes but was confident enough in himself to not even fret over them. The answers just seemed to flow right out of his pencil. In History class when they were given book work they could work on in pairs, he and Yusei pushed their desks together and Jack found himself needing to help Yusei a great deal.

"History has always been a bit difficult for me," Yusei admitted.

"Well, the answers are all in the text, you just have to dig them out and write them down is all." Jack responded.

"Why didn't I ever see it like that before?..."

Before Jack knew it, the lunch bell rang at twelve-thirty. He and Yusei walked outside together where they split up to meet the respective girls who were waiting for them; Carly for Jack and Hikaru for Yusei. The twins sat beneath a tree near the fence dividing the schools from one another, and Jack met Carly at the boys school bleachers, where they sat together at the top of the stand and had lunch together.

"Say Jack," Carly asked mid-way through their meal. "How much do you know about the Fudos?"

 _"Hm?"_ Jack questioned, in the middle chewing before he swallowed so he could respond. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Carly began. "I heard this weird story about Yusei today when I was talking with my classmates. Sometimes girls come up to him and ask him out, and he turns them down without giving a reason why."

"Carly, I've been doing the same thing for two years." Jack said with a dead-panned face.

"I know, but, it gets weirder." Carly said.

"Weirder how?" Jack asked.

"Well," Carly went on. "I've heard that sometimes when the girls keep on insisting, eventually they get so persistent and desperate to try and get him to agree that they throw themselves at him."

" _ **'Throw themselves at him'?!**_ Like _**how?!**_ " Jack exclaimed.

"Nothing dirty," Carly said. "They just try to hug him or something."

"What's so weird about that?" Jack asked.

"Well, sometimes he keeps them at bay with one of his hands, but sometimes he has to push them away." Carly said.

"Maybe he's just uncomfortable with girls he doesn't know," Jack suggested.

"Maybe," Carly said. "Sometimes I've even heard his sister has come to his rescue and gets between them before they can hug him. And this one time this girl practically tried to jump on him, and he like, must have panicked or something, because he pushed her away and shouted _'No!'_ and ran away as quick as he could."

"... Well..." Jack began. "I guess that is a little strange..."

" _'A little'_? Try **_a lot!_** "

"Well," Jack picked his head up. "Maybe he has one of those deals with his parents where he's not allowed to date until he's a certain age, or until he has certain grades. He told me himself earlier that he's not so great in History, so, maybe that's something."

"Maybe," Carly said.

"Or maybe he could have had traumatic experiences with girls before," Jack suggested. "Like he could have been made fun of or bullied by them; it would explain why he's attending an all-boys school instead of a co-ed school."

"I guess I never thought of that either." Carly admitted. "Oh well, I guess it's not so weird when I break it down. Besides... I can't really blame him for turning down those girls. Most of them are the ones that are obsessed with him because he's so pretty and haven't ever spoken to him directly before. He probably doesn't want to go on a date with someone just because they fawn over him."

"Well, he does seem to have a certain air about him that the girls find irresistible. Like me. It tends to make the other boys jealous sometimes."

"I can see why," Carly said. "You've turned down more dates then they'll ever have in high school."

"I wouldn't say that, Carly..."

Lunch continued on and before they knew it their hour was up. The twin bells from the twin schools rung at the same time, telling them to get back to class before the next bell in ten minutes.

"Well, it was nice, as it always is, Jack," Carly said as the walked down from the top of the bleachers.

"Indeed." Jack agreed.

"I'll meet you after school to walk you to work, right?" Carly asked when they reached the bottom.

"Sure thing." Jack said with a nod.

"Okay." Carly said. "See you later!" She then set off and bolted towards the gate.

"Bye, Carly!" he called after her.

A few moments later Yusei came up to Jack and asked, "How was your lunch with Nagisa-san?"

"It was nice, thank you." Jack said. "How about you and Hikaru?" he asked as they turned and walked toward the school building.

"Nice, I suppose." Yusei said. "Did you enjoy your food?"

"Yes, thank you very much for putting it together for me." Jack responded. "It was delicious. Even Carly was impressed with it."

"So, you said you have to work after school, right?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah," Jack said. "How come?"

"When do you get out?" Yusei asked.

"Not until about eight o'clock," Jack replied.

"If you'd like, you can stop by our house again. I can have some dinner saved for you." Yusei said.

"Oh no, that's alright, I wouldn't want to barge in so late at night." Jack said. "I should probably go right home after work... I'm usually beat by then."

"Well, in case you change your mind, our invitation stands." Yusei replied.

"That's really kind of you, Yusei." Jack said.

"Well, the two of us are proving to be fast friends." Yusei said. "So I figured, why hesitate?" He turned to look at Jack and said, "You're welcome to visit any time if you wish. If you have free time this weekend, we won't mind."

"I'll keep it in mind."

* * *

Before anyone knew it, school ended and everyone was let out for the weekend. Jack walked with Yusei to meet up with Hikaru, giving the two of them a polite goodbye before he met up with Carly to walk downtown to his part-time job.

The hours flew by, and soon enough, Jack found himself walking back to the woods in a pouring rain. He hadn't remembered to bring an umbrella, but he held is backpack over his head to help keep himself a little bit dry. It was weird. The morning and afternoon had been so beautiful, and then two hours into his work he looked out the window and saw the falling raindrops. It was like the storm had snuck up on him.

Remembering the Fudos' invitation to join them for dinner, he contemplated stopping by their house to get warm first, but soon enough he shrugged it off. He didn't want to intrude, and plus, he had to make sure his tent was secure. He thought he could make due with his convenience store food for the night.

Before he knew it he was at his tent, and didn't even seem to notice that his lock had been missing. His body and mind were too tired.

The last thing he expected to see when he unzipped the door was Hikaru Fudo sitting on the floor of his tent, lock in hand. She startled a surprised yelp out of him and he fell over onto his rump, blinking before he asked her, _**"What are you doing in there?!"**_

"I could ask you the same thing." she replied, kneeling before she crawled out, opening the umbrella in her other hand when she stood up. "Come back to the house with me. I brought your stuff there."

"Wait, what are you ta-"

Before Jack knew it, he was being pulled at his wrist after Hikaru.

He just hoped he wasn't in trouble.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

... _Dun dun **duuuuuun!**_

XD Sorry, couldn't resist. A little uneventful right now but just wait till things progress.


	3. Chapter 3: Fever At The Fudos'

_**Chapter 3: Fever At The Fudos'**_

* * *

Jack didn't know if he should be embarrassed or relieved to be stepping inside of the Fudo house. While the house was a bit stuffy from having the doors and windows shut because of the rain, he was just glad to be out of the cold, wet weather and some place warm.

 _ **"Twinny-chan!"**_ Hikaru shouted, practically at the top of her lungs, which caused Jack to cringe. She took off her muddy shoes and stepped into the vestibule, and Jack did the same, following her a bit slowly and keeping his head down. _**"Twinny-chan, I found him!"**_

 _"Huh? What, Onee-chan?"_ came Yusei's slightly groggy reply. A moment later, he came trudging into their sight, dressed in dark blue pajama pants and an over-sized T-shirt. He was rubbing his right hand at his eyes, so when Jack looked through his wet bangs to him, he assumed that Yusei had fallen asleep. As soon as Yusei laid his eyes on the boy standing behind his sister, he seemed awake immediately. " _ **Jack!**_ What on Earth..." He made his way past Hikaru, whom stepped aside to give the two a little room. "Where have you been? You're soaking wet!"

"He didn't have an umbrella on his way home from work, I'm assuming," Hikaru suggested.

"Onee-chan, get me some towels. And warm up before you catch the flu." Yusei said, unshyly wrapping his arms around Jack's shoulders as he led him inside.

"How can I catch the flu from the rain? Is it even flu season?" Hikaru asked. "Besides, I'm not even that wet!"

"Hika, don't you start!" Yusei snapped, turning and leading Jack into the living room.

Jack felt too ashamed to make eye contact. Before he knew it, he was seated on a couch in their living room with Yusei bent over in front of him, drying him off with a towel like he were a child who had just gotten out of the bath, being dried off by his mother. Yusei soon lifted the towel onto the top of his head, ruffling his light blonde hair through the fabric to get it dry. It was with this that Yusei seemed to grasp him by his head and turn his head upward, meeting the look of concern in Yusei's deep, ocean blue eyes.

"Jack, what were you doing out in the woods?" Yusei asked in a quiet, worried tone. "I thought Onee-chan had been trying to pull a trick on me when she said she found a tent full of your things on our property, but, it's true. She was right."

"Damn straight I was right!" Hikaru said as she walked into the room with a mug of hot tea in her hands.

"Look, I'm sorry for trespassing, but I don't have anywhere else to go." Jack replied, turning his head away only to have Yusei turn it back. "If I can just stay there a little longer... just for a few more weeks. I don't have enough money for an apartment yet. I don't have a lot of money, but I can pay you. Please let me stay?"

"Those woods aren't too safe," Hikaru said, handing off the tea to Jack. "Especially in this weather at this time of day. Who knows what could happen out there. Landslides, falling tree branches, the occasional weirdos prowling around. All in all, it isn't the safest place for somebody to live in a tent." She then leaned over the edge of the couch and towards Jack as she asked, "How long have you been out there, anyway?"

"I guess..." Jack looked down. "Just over a week?"

"Take a drink, Jack," Yusei said, urging the cup of tea towards Jack's face. Jack lifted the mug near his mouth, blew on the tea to cool it off a bit before he took a sip. "Jack, we can't let you stay out there. It's too dangerous. You could get hurt, and in weather like this, you could get sick. You looked a little pale as it was this morning..."

 _"Bu-bu-but..."_ Jack trembled a little and Yusei laid his hands on his shoulders. "What else can I do? I don't have anywhere else to go to..."

Gently, Yusei wrapped his arms around Jack's head and shoulders. He then asked quietly, "What happened to your parents?"

Jack shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, doing his best to hold back his tears. A sudden bout of dizziness hit him right in the head and he stumbled upward as he tried to stand, but he fell right into Yusei who, surprisingly enough, though he had a smaller build than the blonde, was strong enough to hold him up. A moment later, as he eased Jack down onto the floor, he rolled him onto his side and took his tea away before he laid his palm, which felt cool and soothing, against Jack's forehead.

" _God_ , he's burning up," Yusei said.

 ** _"What should we do?..."_** Hikaru's voice sounded distant and echoed.

 _"Let's get him upstairs and call for a doctor,"_ he heard Yusei say. He felt weightless as Yusei lifted him up, wrapping an arm around Jack's shoulders as he held one of Jack's arms around him to half-carry, half-drag him along to Jack-didn't-know-where, or could even tell.

* * *

Jack felt hot all over. His face kept nudging and nuzzling into the coolness of the pillow against his head. He felt like curling up and going to sleep, but at the same time felt restless because of the heat radiating throughout his body. He couldn't go to sleep because he couldn't calm down, but he wanted to calm down so he could go to sleep and rest. It was like his body was fighting against him.

Vaguely, he could feel cool, soothing hands against him; one of them was holding him down so as to keep him still, and he stilled as much as he could at that one touch. He then felt the other hand beginning to undress him. He tried opening his eyes, but they almost seemed to be glued shut.

 ** _"There, now,"_** a voice spoke that seemed almost distant. _**"You'll be alright. Just calm down and relax..."**_

With a tired moan, Jack mumbled, _"Mama..."_

He kept quiet and mostly still while he was dressed down to nothing but his boxers, after which he could feel the cool, familiar, soft fabric of his pajamas replacing his hot, bothersome school uniform. The cool hands pulling up and smoothing down his pajama bottoms, and buttoning up his pajama top. Soon after, the hands settled on his hair, giving him soothing strokes. Eventually, warmth surrounded his body, and despite how hot he felt, it was oddly and mysteriously soothing in comparison.

 _ **"It's alright, Jack,"**_ the gentle voice echoed in his ears. _**"Rest now and go to sleep. You'll be alright..."**_

Jack, with a soft sigh and a nuzzle into his pillow, felt the hands stroking his hair follow and continue. His eyebrows relaxed, and he whispered, _"Mama..."_ before he felt himself drifting off.

* * *

He didn't know how long he had been asleep for. He heard two other voices talking as his head spun and whirled and he tried to move. He felt immobilized. It wasn't until the warmth that surrounded his body disappeared and the familiar cool hands touched him, rolling him over onto his back. Or was it onto his front? He didn't know.

Something colder than the hands, small but still cold, was soon felt on his chest. When had his shirt opened, exactly? It switched positions on him almost sporadically, but soon enough it disappeared and he could hear one of the two other voices speaking before the cool hands pulled one of his arms out of his sleeves, and a short time later he felt a small, sharp pain there. He wasn't even sure if he had flinched or gasped, or both.

When he drifted off this time, he felt much more at peace.

His dreams were nonsensical, confusing things he couldn't even remember. His sense of time was damaged. He had no idea where he was, who was with him, or what was going on. All he could seem to do was calm down beneath the cool hands. They were familiar, in a way he couldn't remember. All he knew was they were there, and they were comforting.

He could hear another voice; a familiar voice that sounded worried, but he couldn't respond. The most he could do was wriggle, groan, and try to go back to sleep. Like opening his eyes was a chore in itself.

The time seemed to go by in an impossible way, and all he could really recall were the hands sitting him up, getting him to drink something warm, the hands half-carrying, half-dragging him away from the warmth he had slept in before stripping him naked and settling his body down into a different sort of warmth; something moist. He couldn't even recall what it was. He stayed there for a while; feeling the hands rubbing something along his body and then letting him settle and relax. He felt his head slowly drifting down into the wet warmth, but soon enough the cool hands grabbed at his hair again and pulled him out of it. But why? He couldn't tell. Some time later, he was pulled back out of the warmth and felt the hands rubbing something along him again. He was dressed again before he was led back to the warmth he had slept in and he settled in for another long bout of sleep.

Unknowingly, his head nuzzled into the hands and the body caring for him.

* * *

 ** _"Jackie... Jackie..."_**

 _Sigh._

 ** _"You've got a fever again..."_**

He could feel his head laying against a lap; with his arms folded beneath his head and hands stroking his hair, weaving between the golden strands.

 _ **"You don't have to push yourself so hard... you don't always have to do things the way I did..."**_

His eyebrows creased, and with a soft breath, he uttered, _"Mama..."_

He could almost see her smile, smell the scent of her perfume...

 _ **"You can just be yourself. Do things your own way, one step at a time. You'll get there, I promise..."**_

For what felt like the first time in ages, Jack managed to slide his eyes open a bit, and it took him a few moments before his vision began to focus, and he took in the familiar, smiling face of his mother. Just in his line of sight. With a slow, tired blink and a slight moan, he said, _"Mama?..."_

 _ **"Just be yourself; you'll be fine..."**_

Then, Jack's eyes snapped fully open with a small gasp. He wasn't dreaming. His mother's picture was right there, in front of his face.

 _"Mama, you're here..."_ he said quietly. He reached out one of his hands, grasping the golden picture frame and pulling it closer. _"But... how did you... how did we..."_ His eyes looked to the side. _"Where... where are we?..."_

 _"Hm..."_

Jack blinked and pushed himself up with his free hand, feeling hands woven through his hair. He sat on his knees just in time to see Yusei's hands fall from his head, and the younger boy's eyes began to open. Jack saw Yusei had been leaning his body against a wall and had been sleeping there for who-knew-how-long, and for whatever reason was wearing a surgical mask over his nose and mouth. But more importantly...

 _'Why was I sleeping with my head in his lap?...'_

As Yusei was coming to, Jack took a look around the room. He was sleeping on a futon, and the blankets he had been bundled in had slipped off of his body when he sat up. He honestly had no idea where he was, or even what day it was. Or why he was there. But he did see his boxes and bags of things against the wall by the door; a sliding door.

All of a sudden everything from Friday night came flooding back to him. Hikaru dragging him to the house, being dried off by Yusei, and the hot tea... but what had happened after that? And... why had Hikaru taken his stuff to their house in the first place?

"Oh, Jack, you're awake..." Jack turned his head to see Yusei rubbing at his eyes with his right hand. "How are you feeling?" Yusei asked, reaching his hand out to lay it on Jack's forehead. "You're still a little pale, but you look a lot better today. You were out of it for a while..."

 _"I... what... where..."_ Jack's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, holding his mother's picture against his chest. "What happened?"

"You collapsed a little while after Hikaru brought you in," Yusei said, turning his hand over to feel Jack's forehead with that now. "We had a doctor come and take a look at you, and he said you had the flu."

"The flu..." Jack said. That explained the surgical mask. So Yusei could take care of him without getting sick. "What... what day is it?"

"Sunday," Yusei said. "Come on, let's get you downstairs." he insisted, standing with his hands on Jack's shoulders, helping him up. "Hikaru's been brewing leek soup for you all morning."

Though he had a million thoughts and just as many questions running through his head, Jack merely followed after Yusei, holding onto his picture of his mother very tightly.

He didn't want to let her go.

* * *

I know Jack was pretty out of it during his delirium, but that's what I was going for. That he doesn't really remember what happened but can recall some of the feelings, like being examined by a doctor and Yusei giving him a bath. Sounds kinda weird but that's what I was going for. XD

Anyways thanks for reading so far. :3


	4. Chapter 4: That Fateful Day In May

_**Chapter 4: That Fateful Day In May**_

* * *

Jack was brought down into the dining room, where he saw the door was open so as to let in the welcome, fresh air from outside. Yusei sat him down at the side of the table and said he would return shortly.

Jack crossed his legs on the tatami mat, and turned his head to the left to look outside. The morning looked clear and peaceful with the sound of birds chirping away happily. The world didn't look wet, damp or moist at all. That was surprising to him, given how hard it had been raining on Friday night. Even with all of that time to dry till Sunday.

Cradling the golden picture frame in his hands, Jack looked down into it and took in the features of his gorgeous mother. Her kind smile and her soft eyes, and her long, glorious blonde hair identical to his.

 _'Mama...'_

 _ **"Yes, hello Mrs. Nagisa?"**_

Jack picked his head up and turned his head to the doorway, where he could hear Yusei's voice traveling from somewhere nearby.

 _ **"Yes, I'll hold."**_

 _'Nagisa?...'_

 _ **"Yes, Nagisa-san? It's Yusei,"**_

 _'Did Carly drop by to check up on me after all of that horrible weather?...'_ Jack wondered with wide eyes.

 _ **"I just wanted to tell you that Jack is awake,"**_ he heard Yusei say. _**"He's a little confused, but he's alert and responding. We're just about to give him something to eat. Are you still planning to stop by and check up on him again?"**_

 _'Again?'_

 _ **"Let's see... how about eleven?"**_ Pause. _**"Yes, that will be perfect. We'll be sure to have him resting again soon."**_ There was another short pause. _**"Alright then, we'll see you then. Bye, Nagisa-san."**_

It was a few minutes later when Yusei, accompanied by Hikaru, both wearing surgical masks, came into the room. Hikaru carried a bowl of soup and a mug of tea on a tray, and Yusei a cup of water.

"Hey there, Blondie," Hikaru greeted, setting the tray down in front of Jack. "Are you still delirious?"

"Onee-chan, don't tease him right now." Yusei said, holding out the water for Jack. "Here, drink something."

Jack took the water with one of his hands and, making eye contact with Yusei, he asked, "Was that Carly you were just on the phone with?"

"Yes," Yusei said, urging Jack to take a drink of the water, so the blonde did so. "She's coming by to check up on you a little later."

"How does she know I'm here?" Jack asked.

"After the storm settled down by midnight, she and her parents came through the woods with flashlights, looking for you." Hikaru said, sitting down at the head of the table. "When they couldn't find you and your tent was empty, they found the house and sure enough, we had you here. You were so delirious that you were clinging onto Yusei, and kept on calling him _'Mama'_."

"Nagisa-san wanted to bring you home with her, but you wouldn't let me go." Yusei said.

 _"I wouldn't?..."_ Jack asked.

"Nagisa said it seemed like Yusei was a lot like your mother." Hikaru responded.

"She was so worried about you, she wouldn't tell us anything about why you were out there." Yusei said. "Not even when she came by yesterday..."

Jack blinked. "She came by yesterday, too?"

"There will be plenty of time to talk soon enough," Yusei said, picking up the spoon on the tray in front of Jack. He dipped it into the soup and held it out toward Jack's mouth. "You really need to eat. I could hardly even get you to drink broth, let alone water yesterday..."

Before Yusei could get the spoon anywhere near Jack's mouth, one of the blonde's hands was grasping his wrist. Yusei blinked, but listened as Jack spoke when he looked into his eyes. "I'm fine now. I can feed myself."

Yusei relaxed his hand after Jack took the spoon from him. "Fair enough." he replied.

"Twinny-chan, why don't we give him a little space to eat in peace?" Hikaru asked, turning her gaze to her brother.

"A fair idea, Onee-chan," Yusei replied, but turned his head to Jack as the other boy was pulling the spoon out of his mouth. "But on one condition, Jack."

Jack stared for a moment before he asked, "What's that?"

"You tell us why you were living out in that tent." Yusei responded with a serious face. "Deal?"

Jack looked down into his lap; at his mother's photograph. "Okay..."

Satisfied with that, the Fudo twins left Jack to eat in peace.

* * *

When Jack trudged into the kitchen a short time later, the three things on the tray empty, Hikaru and Yusei, whom were simply hanging out in there, leaning against the counters across from one another.

"Hey there," Hikaru greeted.

"Did you like the soup, Jack?" Yusei asked.

"Yes, it was very delicious," Jack said with a nod as the younger boy took the tray from him.

"Glad you liked it," Hikaru said with a wink as she held up a peace sign with her right hand. "It's a recipe we learned from our mother."

Yusei placed the used dishes in the sink to soak in the warm, soapy water before he turned back to Jack and said, "Why don't we let you lie down again? You'll probably need a few days this week to recover fully from this flu."

"And once we've got you upstairs, you can tell us your life story." Hikaru said, leading the two boys out of the kitchen.

Of course, before they headed upstairs, Jack was sure to retrieve the picture of his mother from the dining room.

When Yusei had Jack back on the futon in what Jack assumed was their guest room or spare room, Jack was going to keep himself sitting up in order to tell the two why he had been in the woods on their property, but a bout of dizziness told him to do otherwise. Yusei insisted he lie back down, so he placed down his mother's picture before he laid down, and when his head laid against the pillow, he felt less dizzy already. Before he could cover himself, Yusei had taken care of bringing the blankets back over him.

"Jack, do you feel well enough to tell us why you were staying out there?" Yusei asked, kneeling behind the futon like he had been earlier when Jack had woke up with his head on his lap. Hikaru settled next to the futon, sitting just behind Jack's picture frame.

"I'm well enough for now," Jack replied, his voice slightly muffled by the blankets pulled up close to his nose. Slipping his eyes closed, he began to tremble slightly before he asked, "Yusei, Hikaru... do either of you have regrets?"

His eyebrows knitted together before Yusei asked, "What sort of regrets?"

 _"Like..."_ Jack began. _"Like... doing something differently... wishing you had more time to do something or say something to someone you lost..."_ He felt the tears burning behind his eyes, begging to seep out of his eyelids and drop down his cheeks. _"Everyone keeps telling me that a fifteen year-old like me shouldn't have any regrets... but I do..."_ He buried the side of his head into the pillow. _"I do..."_

"What do you regret?" Hikaru asked.

 _"... I regret... not waking up on time to tell Mama... 'Have a nice day... be safe...' on the day she died..."_ Jack said. _"Every morning of every day... for longer then I can even remember... I would say it to her... I was sure to be awake for when she would come tell me good bye if she had to leave for even just a minute... except for that day... I didn't say it..."_ His eyebrows twitched and trembled. _"I had my final exams to take for middle school... I had already been accepted into our high school, but I still stayed up late the night before, studying, making sure I knew everything... I fell asleep in the middle of my review, right at my desk, just after midnight. When Mama came in to say good bye early that morning, she saw me asleep at my desk, turned off my lamp and laid me down in bed so I could sleep comfortably before I had to wake up for school..."_

Jack could feel the tears behind his eyelids seeping out a little bit, but prayed the twins couldn't notice. Unfortunately for him, they did.

 _"After everything she did for me... all of the sacrifices she made for me..."_ Jack continued, fisting his trembling hands. _"I couldn't even wake up in time to tell her to have a good day, see you after school, and be safe before she left... and never came home again..."_ He shook much more visibly. _"I'll never forget the look on my dad's face when he came running into my classroom... and told me that she was in the emergency room... in critical condition... the way I was so shocked I couldn't even move... so shocked that he had to sweep me up and run out of school with me in his arms like I was a baby..."_ He finally couldn't hold back his tears and let them fall freely, soaking the pillow. _"By the time we got to see her, the doctors said there wasn't anything they could do to save her... that it was just a matter of time before she slipped away..."_

Jack didn't even respond, maybe couldn't even feel, when Yusei began to wipe the tears from his cheeks. Like Jack was too precious to be touched by such things.

 _"She could barely breathe on her own... and she was barely conscious... but somehow, through the pain and the struggle, she was able to say, 'I love you...' before her heart stopped... her hands lost their hold on ours... before she lost all of her warmth..."_ Jack paused, sniffling, a faint hiccup resonating from his throat. _"I cried and cried for almost the whole summer... grieving and blaming myself for not being able to do that one little thing for her before she died... I felt so selfish... so at fault..."_ He blinked his eyes open for a moment, as if it helped to rid himself of the tears on his face, before he closed them again. _"And then Dad..."_

Yusei placed his hands on Jack's hair again, stroking it and weaving his fingers between the beautiful blonde strands, and appreciating it. "What happened to your father?" Yusei asked, softly.

Jack took a long, steady breath in and out of his nose. _"He was there for me for the first month... and then it hit him that she was really gone... and he began to avoid me... and before I could ever ask him what was wrong, he would walk right past me and lock himself in his bedroom. It occurred to me one night that I was the problem."_

Yusei knitted his eyebrows together in concern and asked, "How were you the problem?"

Jack was silent for a few, long moments. The soft sound of his light breathing soon hit the Fudos' ears.

With a small sigh, Yusei said, "We shouldn't push him any further until he's ready to talk about it again."

Hikaru could only nod.

* * *

It was approximately nine minutes before eleven o'clock, but there was an unmistakable, insistent knocking on the front door. Hikaru, washing dishes at the sink, merely said, "Nagisa's a little early." before she called, _**"Come on in, Nagisa! Jack's upstairs!"**_

 _ **"Thank you!"**_ the other girl's voice called while sounds of her hurrying inside ensued. Carly nearly struggled at the door to slip out of her pink sneakers, but finally managed to wriggle her feet free before she picked up the paper shopping bags she brought along with her, hurried down the vestibule, into the hallway and up the stairs.

Sure enough, Yusei and his keen sense of hearing could hear Carly before she even entered the house. The sound of her persistent knocking had traveled quite easily from the front door to upstairs. It was a few moments later that the door to the bedroom was opened, and the girl with glasses stepped inside, out of breath but not so much to keep her from asking, "How's Jack?"

"He's doing better," Yusei replied. "He fell asleep not long after we gave him something to eat."

"That's good," Carly sighed with relief, approaching the two boys and sitting down beside Jack's futon, placing the bags down around her. "He looked terrible yesterday. He couldn't even respond, could he?"

"Not at all, but at least he's coherent now." Yusei said, keeping his hands on the head that had once again snuggled its way up into his lap.

"So, he," Carly began, looking over at Yusei. "He started clinging to you again?"

"Yes," Yusei responded. "Not long after he fell asleep."

With sad eyes hidden behind her glasses, Carly quietly said, "You must remind him of his mother."

Yusei picked his head up.

"You have a certain... gentle kindness about you, Fudo-san..." Carly said. "It was one of the most memorable qualities of her..."

Yusei closed his eyes for a moment, breathed deep, and then looked over toward Carly. "Nagisa-san," Carly picked her head up and looked over at him. "Jack... he told us what happened to his mother." Carly blinked with a quiet gasp at that, staring at him. "He said that his father started to avoid him, and that he was the problem as to why. But... why is that?" Carly looked down, spotted the picture frame and picked it up, taking in the features of the woman she hadn't seen since May that year. "Nagisa," Carly looked back over at the boy. "What happened to his father?"

Carly looked down at the frame again, quiet for a moment. "Jack loves both of his parents very much. He was always a mama's boy when he was young... and he wouldn't admit it, but he was still one up to the day she died; on that fateful day in May..." She paused for only a short moment. "His father would spoil the both of them because they were his wife and child. And... as you can see..." Carly held up the picture frame for Yusei to look at. "From his head to his toes, Jack is her little clone." She set it down on her lap and continued. "When they were both grieving over her, he was there for Jack at first... but then eventually, through all of his grief over his wife, whenever he would look at Jack... all he was able to see was her. So he began to throw himself into his work, and when Jack figured out he was the problem, he began to avoid his father as well. He would set out food for him to eat when he got home or before he went to work, but that was about it. For a while, it seemed like Jack didn't even have a father anymore, either."

Gently, Carly reached out one of her hands to Jack, laying it on his cheek. Her thumb smoothed over the pale skin of his cheek.

"This went on for nearly the entire summer... until one morning, when Jack was woken up by a call from his father's assistant, saying he'd collapsed right after an important meeting." Yusei's eyes widened a bit at that. "He had been trying so hard not to look at Jack or even be in the same room as him that he worked himself to the bone. When he woke up in the hospital several hours later with Jack holding his hand, he couldn't even look at him then. It was still too much for him to bear... so he told Jack everything, right then and there, and confirmed what Jack had been thinking. He'd been right. His own father was so upset that his wife was gone, that he couldn't even stand to look at his only child. And Jack... he could have gotten angry, or felt betrayed, that the only parent he had left couldn't even look at him, let alone take care of him anymore. But he didn't. He just said, 'I understand.' And that's when... when he proposed he move out on his own."

Yusei could feel a deep pang in his heart, and with a little sniffle let a few tears from his eyes, which were absorbed into his surgical mask.

"It was up until last week that his father had been off on a business trip," Carly went on. "He said he would be able to save up and find a place in time for his father's return. But working at a part-time job for only the summer so far... it wasn't nearly enough time for him to have saved up. So last week, he had his things packed and ready to go, and when he told his father and my parents that he'd rented a small, cheap place to start out with, in actuality, I had helped him settle in the woods in a tent. He said it would be best."

"But you offered to take him in, didn't you?" Yusei asked. "So... why didn't he go to live with you?"

Carly, with a small smile said, "Because Jack is stubborn." Yusei blinked, and Carly, keeping her eyes on Jack's slumbering face, continued. "He figured if he stayed on his own in the forest for a month or two, then he would have enough saved up before the weather got too cold. He gets along with my parents great and all, but... he heard independence calling his name. And once he sets his mind on something, he accomplishes it. No matter how much I try to ask him to come home with me, he won't listen. That's just the way he is... he's my beloved, stubborn little brother, and I wouldn't do anything in the world to change him."

Then Carly leaned over, moving her hand out of the way of Jack's face to place a kiss on his cheek before she gave him a hug around his torso.

 _"It's amazing..."_

Carly picked her head up and looked at Yusei's face, noticing an unidentifiable look in his eyes. Neither of them had noticed how Hikaru had entered the room a short time ago, and was leaning against the wall. The look she saw on her brother's face was one she had seen before on multiple occasions, and knew how to identify.

"He's always seemed so cheerful and so at ease at school..." Yusei continued in a soft tone of voice. "I never would have guessed that he's been suffering like this for so long..." Yusei picked up on the presence of his sister in the room and turned his eyes toward her. "Back in Neo-Domino, I remember so many times where we wished we could run away from the family estate... but just as many times, we had the same reasons not to leave. But when it came down to it, we just didn't have what it took to do what he's done. It could have been us one day. We could have gone off on our own to live in the forest in a tent. But we never did. There was always a reason to stay."

Hikaru, with a small grin on her face, though hidden behind her surgical mask, crossed her arms and said, "You could call it amazing. But I don't think the word can hardly do him justice."

Yusei looked back down at Jack's contented, sleeping face. "No... no, it doesn't."

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**


	5. Chapter 5: Fever-Induced Furry Things?

**_Chapter 5: Fever-Induced Furry Things?_**

* * *

It was roughly twenty minutes after Carly's arrival when Jack awoke again, having felt rested enough by then, what with all of the sleep he had gotten since Friday night. Though he was a little embarrassed to be waking up in Yusei's lap again, no one prodded or poked fun at him for it. In fact, once they had seen that Jack seemed well enough to sit up, the twins took their leave and left the two alone for a short while.

When they were alone, Jack turned to Carly and smiled. "It's great to see you again, Onee-chan."

Carly then scrunched her face, lifted her hand and smacked him across the side of his head.

 _ **"Ouch!"**_ Jack yelped, giving her a confused look. **_"Wha-what did you do that for?!"_**

 _ **"For being an idiot, Jack Atlas!"**_ Carly replied. **_"Do you know what could have happened to you if the Fudos hadn't found you and took you in?! You could have gotten sick and died, baka!"_**

 _"Carly, not so loud..."_ Jack mumbled, holding his hands on his head.

Carly sighed, pushed her glasses up her nose, and said, "I'm sorry, Jack... but you can just be so stubborn sometimes. This time you were almost killed. What would have happened to you out in the rain and the cold like that?"

Jack curled his body into a slight ball before responding with, _"I don't know..."_

"Jack..." The elder grasped his chin, locking eyes with him. "Why won't you come home with me?..."

* * *

About an hour later, Carly took her leave to let Jack rest. A short while later, Jack decided to change his pajamas into a fresh pair. Carly had actually went out and bought him new clothes the day before, and had washed them the night before so he could wear them right away. "I got them a size bigger than you are now, so you can still grow into them." she had said.

"Do you think I'm going to end up being near six feet tall like my dad, Onee-chan?" Jack had asked.

"You never know," Carly had responded.

So Jack changed into one of the pairs of pajamas she had bought him. She really could fuss over him like a big sister or a mother sometimes, but he really didn't mind, being an only child. In actuality, he sort of liked being doted over.

He chose to put on the pair that was light blue and patterned with blue dragons sitting on clouds, and fished out his slippers from his belongings before he decided to go downstairs and see the twins again.

Carefully, he walked down the stairs while holding onto the railing with both hands, and when he walked into the dining room, he was greeted by the two who were sitting at the table together. Each of them had a cup of tea in front of them, and no surgical masks.

"Hey there," Hikaru greeted. "How you feeling?"

"I'm alright, thank you." Jack said, holding his hands on doorway to help keep himself upright. "I must feel a lot better if I can't remember what happened yesterday or the night before... but I still feel like I've been hit by a truck."

"Are you thirsty?" Yusei asked. "Do you want something to drink? Or maybe some more soup?"

"No, I'm fine, really." Jack said with a shake of his head.

"Come sit down," Yusei said, gesturing to the open tatami mat next to the head of the table, where he sat.

Jack nodded and his feet padded across the room to the table, where he sat down and crossed his legs once he was on the tatami mat.

"So, Jack," Hikaru began, weaving her fingers together and leaning her chin on them. "I've got a question for you."

Jack looked across the table at the blackette girl and asked, "What is it?"

"Where will you live now?"

At that, Jack's breath hitched and he froze.

"I..." he began. "I don't know..." His eyes stared down at the table. "Maybe I... maybe for now I can find a cheap motel somewhere downtown... I'd have to get up early for extra time to get to school, take on some extra and double-shifts, but if I find a place cheap enough, I save up for an apartment in about... a month from now?... No, maybe a month and a half... or two? Or..."

"Or, you can stay here."

Jack gasped and his head snapped up and over to Yusei, who simply smiled and leaned his head on his hand.

"Hikaru and I have plenty of space, and we've enjoyed your company. We have that extra room you've been sleeping in, so you're welcome to stay here."

Jack blinked and asked, "You'd let me stay here until I can find an apartment?"

"No," Hikaru said, catching his attention now. "We'd let you stay here for good."

 ** _"That is out of the question!"_** Jack exclaimed, but then lifted his hands up to grasp his head, because his own volume had caused his head to throb a bit.

"We're not _that_ strange, are we?" Hikaru asked, twirling a lock of her hair around her index finger while her other hand was busy twisting her pinky into her nose, as if for comedic purposes.

"Jack, we're offering because we want to help." Yusei said. "We like you and we're getting along well. Besides, where else can you go?"

"You can't keep staying in that tent, you know. It's too dangerous to be living on your own in something like that." Hikaru said.

"And plus, while you were asleep earlier, Carly told us about your asthma." Yusei added.

Jack blinked again. "She did?"

"Yes, and she told us that fresh air helps to keep you at your best of health." Yusei went on. "What better of a place to help than right here? Especially since you seemed so at peace when you were here on Friday morning..."

Jack looked down at his lap.

"We won't make you pay rent or anything, either." Hikaru offered. "Maybe you could just help Twinny-chan out with his homework when he needs it, okay?"

Jack stared down at his hands, twiddling his thumbs together.

"W-well..." Jack began. "If I'm going to stay here, I want to help out around here. I'll help with the cleaning and the cooking, I'll even help with the shopping, and I want to know all of the rules of the house, and-"

"Relax, it's alright." Yusei cut him off, locking his eyes with Jack's. "You don't have to worry about anything, alright? All you have to do is be yourself." He gave a small smile. "Fair enough?"

Jack went quiet for a moment as his eyes narrowed in surprise.

 _ **"Just be yourself; you'll be fine..."**_

"... Well..." Jack looked at the two siblings before he said, "Okay."

 _ **"Sweetness! Twinny-chan, looks like the dynamic duo is now the dynamic trio!~"**_ Hikaru sung out a bit loudly, soon sending an apologetic look Jack's way as he cringed again, holding his hands on his head. She wove her fingers together again and leaned on them. "But for the time being, Jackie Boy, just focus on getting better. We'll take care of the cooking and cleaning until then."

Jack picked his head up, and with wonder in his tone, said, "You two are really nice... I wonder why it is we haven't crossed paths before."

"Because you didn't move into the forest till last week." Yusei said, cutting off Hikaru before she could say anything.

 _"Whoa, you and I are on the same wave-link, Twinny-chan!~"_ Hikaru sung, this time quietly for Jack's sake.

"Although," Yusei went on, placing one of his hands on his chins. "We should probably call our parents and let them know we're taking in a roommate."

Jack's face dead-panned, and taking his hands off of his head and placing them on the table, he asked, "Why aren't they here to begin with?"

"Well, you see, Jackie Boy," Hikaru began. "Our parents are still in the city. Our family has owned this house for quite some time, but since it hadn't been used by anyone in a long while, we're welcome to stay here as long as we see fit. We we offered scholarships to our current schools, and we thought that moving out of the city would be a good thing. City air can make us get sick pretty often... and since we moved here at the end of summer, things have been great. Yusei and I are able to and are mature enough to take care of ourselves, so our parents had no problem with us coming to live out here so we can attend school."

Jack blinked and asked, "But... but how come they didn't come with you?"

"Well, our father is pretty important in the family." Yusei responded. "We have a very large, extensive family. We're from an estate in the city known as the Fudo Estate; all sorts of our relatives live there, some of them directly related, some distant, some married into the family... it's almost like a small town in itself living in the estate. And with a family that big, they need doctors. Our father is the head doctor of the family clinic."

"But..." Jack paused for a moment. "Don't they... don't they miss you at all?"

"Of course they do," Hikaru responded. "They're our family! But we promised that we'd visit as often as we could." With a blink, she then said, "Actually, up until we found you in the woods, yesterday we were going to hop on a train to the city to surprise them."

Jack blinked again, his eyes widening. "I... I didn't mean to intrude like this, I... I could have gone to the hospital so you could go off..."

"Please, it wasn't any trouble, given how worried about you Yusei seemed to be." Hikaru said with a chuckle.

With a sheepish expression and a sweat-drop, Yusei responded with, "O-of course I was worried! He... he seemed to be pale that morning, and I wanted to make sure he was okay."

 _"Gosh, you two are adorable~"_ Hikaru hummed.

Neither of the two boys stood a chance against that line, the both of them spluttering, turning red and unable to answer at that.

Blinking, Hikaru said, "Um, hey, I was teasing."

* * *

Jack wound up staying downstairs well into the evening. He had lunch, tea and dinner with the other two before finally, Yusei insisted that he get back upstairs to rest and lie down. But before Jack could even think of opening the door to the guest room - _'My room, now, I guess.'_ he corrected in his mind - Yusei grasped him by the wrist a bit firmly, but still gently. Jack blinked and looked Yusei in the face.

"Come on, I think you oughta rest in a real bed for a while now." Yusei insisted, pulling Jack just another door down before he slid it open.

"I'm really fine with futon for now, thanks." Jack said, crossing his arms when Yusei let him go, but followed after the younger boy into his room anyway.

"You've got the flu, Jack," Yusei said, looking down at the floor and kicking away some of his dirty laundry that was lying around. "Whoops, sorry, I didn't even realize how messy it is in here..." He bent down to start collecting up some of the clothes but continued. "I think a bed will do you good for a while."

"But won't you catch the flu hanging out in the room I've been stewing in for the past two days?" Jack asked.

"Believe me, Jack, in the city, I had an abnormally weak immune system. If I were going to get the flu, it would have contracted a long while ago." Yusei insisted, opening the hamper next to his closet and dropping in his clothes. "Man, we gotta do laundry soon... I just hope the laundry room doesn't flood up with suds again."

"That's what those masks were for, right?" Jack asked. "So... why aren't you wearing it anymore?"

With a shrug as he stuffed his clothes down into the hamper, Yusei said, "I dunno, it just didn't occur to me when you came downstairs." He turned his head and looked at Jack over his shoulder and continued, "Believe me, if I were going to get the flu, I would have it already. I've had it before; contracted it within hours of being in contact with someone else with it. That show you how bad the city was for my health? If I'm fine right now, I'll be fine all together. Okay?"

"Well, if you insist..." Jack said with a small sigh. When his eyes laid on Yusei's bed, pushed up against the wall right beside one of two windows, he blinked and asked, "Why's your bed so big?..."

"When Hikaru and I were working on furnishing this place before we moved in, she and our parents insisted on sparing no expenses, saying as we'll be here for a long time." Yusei said, somehow able to close his hamper after jamming in all of his dirty things.

With a slight cock of his head, his two long side-bangs flicking with him, Jack asked, "Do you guys think you'll be going back to the city for your vacations and summers?"

"I dunno, really," Yusei responded. "We'll figure that all out as it all comes around, though. I'm sure our mother will be adamant on having us home for the holidays..." Yusei turned around, and leaning against his hamper, he said, "If we do go to the city, you're always welcome to come with us. I'm sure our parents would love you."

 ** _"Hey, Twinny-chan! What size bed do you think we should get for Ja-"_**

Jack was shoved forward slightly by Hikaru bumping into him, and for a moment he could feel her arms around his sides.

 _ **POOF!**_

Jack blinked at the sight of what looked to be pink smoke of some sort and turned around, turning his head wildly when Hikaru seemed to be nowhere in sight. _"Hikaru?..."_ he called out, taking a step forward before hearing and feeling his foot landing on something. He looked downwards, blinking as he saw he was standing on a copy of a furniture magazine, opened on a page for beds. The pink clouds then faded fully and he flinched and blinked at the sight of Hikaru's clothes in a pile on the floor. **_"Wh-what the hell is going on?!"_**

 _"Oh no..."_ Yusei said, his eyes wide and his body beginning to tremble. _**"No no no no no no!"**_ He ran forwards and knelt down, feeling through the fabric of his sister's clothes.

 _ **"What the hell is going on?! Am I imagining things?!"**_ Jack asked, but just before he could go on, his eyes narrowed in shock as he saw Yusei pull something out of Hikaru's clothes by the back of its neck; something small, black and furry, with a long tail... **_"OH MY GOD, IT'S A FUCKING RAT!"_** Jack shouted, stumbling backwards and landing on his rump. _**"YUSEI, CALL AN EXTERMINATOR; DO SOMETHING!"**_

 _"Aw man, did I hug him?"_

Jack blinked, landing his eyes on the rat. "Did that thing just _talk?_ "

 ** _"Hikaru please shut up please don't make things any worse than they are already!"_** Yusei pleaded in a fast pace, letting the rat sit in his palms.

"What is that thing, is it your pet or something?" Jack asked, feeling his head spinning.

 _ **"Hey, I ain't no damn pet, Assless!"**_

Jack blinked again. "Was that... _Hikaru's voice?_ "

"Jack, calm down, you're feverish-" Yusei began.

 _ **"The hell I'm feverish!"**_ Jack shouted, scooting away from the boy and the rat before his back hit the side of Yusei's bed. _**"This does not look or feel like a dream or a hallucination to me!"**_

 _"How would you know? You can't even remember the past two days!"_

Jack was sure now that the rat was talking; it _was_ talking in Hikaru's voice.

 ** _"Jack, please just calm down!"_** Yusei begged, trembling and shaking and bowing his head.

 _ **"Twinny-chan, you calm down before you get too worked up!"**_ Hikaru, the rat, spoke, frantically waving her front paws. **_"You know what will happen if you-"_**

 _ **POOF!**_

Jack was suddenly very aware of his surroundings when the pink smoke cleared up again and he saw Yusei's clothes in a pile beside Hikaru's. A moment later, something a bit large began to wriggle around beneath Yusei's clothes, and out from the hole in his long-sleeve T-shirt popped the head of a black cat. With a rat on its head. Jack blinked and saw, as the cat came crawling out from the T-shirt, that it had golden stripes down its back.

Jack felt his face flush, and with a dizzy head, muttered, _"Mama, why is everyone turning into animals?..."_

He then fell to his side and blacked out.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

Sorry for such a late update, lost track of time thanks to work the last few weeks... T.T I meant to post this chapter last night but it slipped my mind.

And so the plot thickens~

Next chapter gets a little emotional again. Hopefully I'll remember to update next week instead of leaving another long wait.

See ya next time! :3


	6. Chapter 6: The Fudo Family Curse

**_Chapter 6: The Fudo Family Curse_**

* * *

The first thing that Jack was aware of when he crept back into consciousness was the familiar cool hand on his face; its fingers were spread out, and he could feel one near each of his temples. The palm soon slid up and settled on his forehead, and as he slipped his eyes open, was met with the peach-tan arm of none other than Yusei.

"Just stay still and relax for a moment, Jack," Yusei said in an oddly quiet, slightly eerie voice. "You won't feel a thing. I promise."

 _"What..."_ Jack strained his neck in an attempt to try sitting up. _"What are you?..."_

"Just stay calm." Yusei said, gently holding him down with his other hand. Just then, Jack felt an odd, somewhat burning sensation in what felt like the middle of his brain.

All of a sudden, Jack's eyes snapped fully open and he thrashed against Yusei, pushing him and his hands off of him, and the burning went away in an instant. _**"What the hell was that?!"**_ Jack barked, sitting bolt upright and nearly glaring darkened purple eyes at his classmate. Yusei had gasped and backed away, holding his arms against his chest. **_"What were you doing to me?! What the hell happened?!"_**

"Jack, you fainted-" Hikaru began - had she been there all along?

 _ **"NO SHIT I FAINTED!"**_ Jack shouted, tangling his hands into his hair. **_"What the hell happened to you two?! You turned into ANIMALS, for Christ's sake!"_**

"What on Earth are you talkin' about?" Hikaru asked with one of her hands on her hips.

" _ **You-**_ " Jack pointed a finger at Hikaru. "Turned into a _**rat!**_ And _**you-**_ " He turned his finger to the nervous-looking Yusei. "Turned into a _**cat!**_ "

"Like I said, you fainted." Hikaru responded. "You must have had some weird dream or whatever. You've been out of it for most of the weekend."

 _ **"I AM NOT STUPID!"**_ Jack shouted, fisting his hands in anger. **_"Why the hell are you lying to me?!"_**

"We're not lying to you." Hikaru said with a shake of her head. "You still have a fever, you know." As Jack paused a moment at that, but not believing it for a minute, Hikaru turned her head to Yusei and said, "Right, Twinny-chan? We have no idea what he's talking about, right?"

Jack's eyes immediately darted over to Yusei, who simply squirmed for a moment, holding his arms close to his chest, biting his lips. What he observed most was the teary, guilty look in Yusei's eyes and how he averted his gaze, as if to avoid eye contact with Jack. It was only a moment later that Yusei's eyes closed and tears fell from their corners.

With a growl and a slight scowl, Jack turned his gaze back to Hikaru. "You're lying to me..."

Suddenly, Jack stood, and with a sudden surge of energy, swiftly made his way over to Hikaru and threw his arms around her.

 _ **POOF!**_

Sure enough, when the pink smoke faded away, Jack's arms held Hikaru's clothing with a black rat sitting on top of it.

 ** _"I knew it! I knew it! I knew I wasn't crazy!"_** Jack shouted, practically shaking, which caused the rat to cling onto the clothing it sat on.

 ** _"Oy, if you drop me, I will end you!"_** Hikaru's voice threatened from the rat; Jack was sure of it this time.

Suddenly still, Jack uttered, _"What in the name of **GOD** is going on around here?..."_ A moment later, Yusei's hand rested palm-first against his forehead again, making Jack flinch away from him and, for some reason, holding the rat against his chest as Hikaru's clothes fell from his arms. "What are you doing?!" he asked in a slightly childish tone that displayed his fear and shock. His eyes were soon locked with Yusei's, and he let out a quiet gasp at the sight of Yusei crying, his nose scrunched up, lips trembling as tears cascaded down his cheeks in nearly-endless flows.

Simultaneously, the two boys dropped down; Jack onto his bottom, Yusei on his knees. Yusei covered his eyes with his hands and, wiping away his tears, inhaled sharply before he said, _"I can't do it, Hikaru, I just can't do it..."_

 _"You have to,"_ Hikaru said, wriggling against Jack's arms in an attempt to escape the blonde's oddly strong embrace. _"If you don't, then... then either he will have to do it, or, You-Know-Who will be very upset that we..."_ She let her little furry ears droop. _"That we let out the secret..."_

 _'Secret?...'_ Jack wondered.

"I can't do it, Hikaru. Not to him..." Yusei shook his head, tangling his hands into his hair. "Not after all we've been through this weekend..."

 _ **"I won't let that bastard hurt you again!"**_ Hikaru exclaimed, popping free from Jack's arms and standing on his forearm, sitting on her hind legs with ease. _**"You and I both know the penalty for letting an outsider in on the curse!"**_

 _ **"After everything that Jack told us, he's not an outsider!"**_ Yusei pleaded.

 _ **"**_ **He** _ **won't see it that way!"**_

 _ **"He doesn't**_ **have** _ **to know!"**_

 _ **"He**_ **always** _ **knows!"**_

 _ **"Will somebody please tell me what's going on?!"**_ Jack exclaimed.

Yusei, sniffling, picked his head up and said, _"We have to tell him, Hikaru..."_

Picking her head up and looking at her brother, Hikaru said, _"We can't, Yusei... we just... we just can't."_

 _"Either we tell him now, or I keep having to... every time it happens again..."_ Yusei pleaded, his shoulders trembling.

Silence fell, in which the only sounds heard were from Yusei; crying, sniffling, deep breaths. Soon enough, Hikaru made a leap from Jack and onto her brother's knees. _"I never thought that it would come to this,"_ she said as Yusei scooped her up into his hands, letting her sit in them. _"I just thought that everything would be fine, so long as he didn't try to hug me... or didn't see you when you were under too much stress..."_

Yusei picked his head up as Hikaru turned around in his hands. Shakily, he said, _"Jack..."_

Jack's eyebrows relaxed, and his expression lost all signs of anger that had remained. His mouth fell slightly open and he asked, _"What is this?..."_

 _"Are you familiar with the old folk tale about the Chinese Zodiac?..."_ Hikaru asked.

Jack's eyes widened for a moment as a memory began to play before his eyes.

* * *

 _ **He kept crying and crying and crying. He cried when he'd fallen out of the tree, he cried when he landed on his arm funny. He cried when he tried to move his arm, and he kept crying when his mother scooped him up into her arms. He cried when she put him in the car, he cried on the way to the hospital, he cried when she carried him into the hospital. He cried when they took his X-rays, he cried when they gave him shot and set his bones. He kept crying, even when he didn't feel a thing as they cast his wrist and settled it into a sling.**_

 _ **He kept crying when his mother picked him up and held him against her body, and he kept crying as he clung onto her with his good arm, burying his little face into her sweater and her long, golden hair.**_

 _ **He cried when she sat him down in the car and buckled his seat belt, and kept crying as spoke to him while leaving the parking lot, "You were very brave, my baby boy." He hiccuped, and blinked some of the tears away as he sniffled. "I'm very proud of you."**_

 _ **Through the trauma and the pain, both physical and emotional, Jack stuttered out,** "Y-y-y-y-yo-yo-you-you... Mama, you lied to me..." **He hung his head and curled into a ball, his good arm holding onto his knees.** "You-you-you said tha-that-that the doctors would make it all feel better... but it doesn't... it hurts... and they-and they-and they-and they scared me..."_

 _ **"Sweetie, I know how much it hurts," she spoke in a tone made up of pure sympathy. "I broke my arm when I was ten years old. I wasn't as brave as you are, though... I cried and cried for days. I cried so badly I got sick, and had to stay home for the week."**_

 _ **Jack sniffled through the pain again and said,** "I... I'm not brave, I'm scared it'll never stop hurting..."_

 _ **Halting at a stoplight, she merely turned her head to look at Jack in the back seat, and said with her genuine smile, "Everything will be alright; I promise..."**_

 _ **When they arrived at home, his father waiting for them. Jack was brought up to bed immediately, and not long later, his father brought him up a bowl of ice cream to have for dinner. A treat both of his parents felt like he deserved.**_

 _ **His mother was glad to see that he had calmed down considerably; she knew she used to cry a lot when she was a child, so perhaps it was a little genetic thing that Jack had inherited. As Jack ate his frozen treat with his left hand, as opposed to his right which rested in a sling, she smiled and asked, "Are you feeling better now, my little man?"**_

 _ **With a nod, Jack responded with, "Yes, Mama."**_

 _ **"Are you tired?" she asked.**_

 _"Mm-hm..."_

 _ **"Would you like to hear a story?"**_

 _"Mm..." **Jack nodded.**_

 _ **His mother wiped his face clean when he got to the bottom of the bowl, and soon enough pulled up his covers and settled down beside Jack, whose eyes were on her no matter how drowsy.**_

 _ **"When I was a little girl, my mother would tell me this story." she said, stroking Jack's hair with one of her hands. "Have you ever heard the story behind the animals of the Chinese Zodiac?"**_

 _ **Jack shook his head, and his mother smiled.**_

 _ **"A long, long, time ago, God decided to invite all of the animals to a banquet." she began. "He told them all to be there the following evening; 'And don't be late,' He said. When the mischievous rat heard the news, he decided to play a trick on his neighbor; the cat. He told the cat that the party was the day after tomorrow. The very next day, the animals all lined up to go to the party, and the rat led the way, riding all the way on the back of the ox. Everybody had a wonderful time, except for the foolish cat; who missed the whole thing..."**_

 _"Mmhphh..." **Jack's lips trembled and his eyes welled up with tears again.**_

 _ **"Hey, what's the matter?" she asked him. "Why are you crying?"**_

 _"That poor kitty..." **Jack replied.** "He must have been so lonely... why would the rat do something like that?... It was really mean..." **With a sniffle, he asked his mother,** "Mama, can I be a cat?..."_

 _ **With a soft, tender smile, she responded with, "I don't see why not..."**_

* * *

"Jack."

The blonde gasped, picking his head up and landing his eyes on Yusei, who held the still-in-a-rat-form Hikaru against his chest, like he were hugging his sister.

"Are you alright?" Yusei asked.

Looking down, Jack replied with, "Yes... I was... I was just remembering when my mother first told me the story..."

"Well, then," Yusei went on, looking down towards Hikaru and his lap. "As you saw earlier and from Hikaru just now, her and I transformed into two of the animals from that legend. She takes on the form of the rat, and I take on the spirit of the cat. It was a long, long time ago when this curse came into fruition..."

 _"Curse?..."_ Jack questioned.

"We don't know how and we don't know why, but hundreds of years ago, our ancestors had a curse bestowed upon them." Hikaru said. "This curse fated our family to be responsible for the embodiments of that legend; born into the Fudo family for centuries were babies cursed to take on the forms of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, plus the spirit of the cat. Our animal forms occur when we're hugged by somebody of the opposite sex; we transform into these animals for a varying period of time. And whenever we transform back..."

 ** _POOF!_**

Hikaru sat leaning against Yusei's chest, the sudden puff of pink smoke shielding her bare body from Jack's vision.

"We're naked." she finished just as Jack scrambled to cover his eyes with his hands.

 ** _"Y-you could have warned me about that first!"_** Jack exclaimed.

"You see, Jack," Yusei continued as Hikaru gathered up her clothes and began to cover up her body. "It's because of this curse on our family that not just anybody can know about it; even most of our relatives who live in the Fudo Estate don't know about it. So usually when an outsider is introduced to the curse... more than likely, their memory has to be erased."

Jack blinked. "A... all of their memories?"

"No," Yusei replied. "With this curse also comes another important role in the family. There's a line of us who were born with the ability to erase the memories of one's knowledge of the curse. As it happens, our father holds such an ability, and I inherited it as well. I was trained on how to use it ever since I was very young... but I've yet to bring myself to be able to erase someone's memory." He looked down as Hikaru pulled her T-shirt over her head, once again decent. "That's what Hikaru was trying to get me to do before you woke up."

Jack picked his head up and uncovered his eyes. _"You were going to... erase my memory?..."_

 _"... Yes..."_ Yusei admitted. "But you must understand. It was nothing personal; I just..." He looked to the side. "I've seen first-handed what revealing the curse to an outsider can do to someone. It can drive a person crazy... it can make them think that we're monsters." He didn't respond when Hikaru placed a hand atop of his head and wrapped her other arm around him. "That's why Hikaru suggested I erase that memory from your mind. Because it seemed like you were losing it..."

Jack fisted his hands on his knees, his head spinning from all of this new information.

He remembered having heard Hikaru before she ran into him. He remembered how frightening it was when the smoke had appeared and she was nowhere in sight. The look of panic and sheer worry on Yusei's face when her rat form had been revealed; how he had gotten so worried that it caused him to transform into his cat form.

But Jack knew he wasn't angry, or even scared at what happened.

"I was worried." Jack said aloud.

The twins picked their heads up, Yusei's head still settled beneath Hikaru's chin. Hikaru stared at him simply, while Yusei blinked with a gaze full of confusion.

"When it all comes down to it... I wasn't scared, I was worried. I had no idea what the hell was going on..." Jack said, staring down at his lap. "I wasn't sure if it was a messed up dream from my fever, or if it was real life. I just couldn't tell... I had no idea what happened to you. If it was reality... or just all in my head." He picked his head up to address the two. "I was just... I was just worried because over the past few days, you've taken care of me when I was unable to do so myself. I had no idea what was happening... the way you two have been taking care of me unconditionally, I... I want to reciprocate that... I was worried because I didn't know how to help."

Hikaru's gaze was dumbfounded, while Yusei's seemed to be in wonder.

"If it has to be this way, then... you can erase my memory..." Jack said, bowing his head downward again. "But at least... let me remember everything you've done for me..." He slipped his eyes closed. "Just promise me you'll still be my friends. I never want to forget that..."

For several, long moments, the only sounds audible were Yusei's sniffles as he blinked tears down his cheeks. Soon enough, he sprung away from Hikaru's embrace and over to Jack, holding onto him tightly, his head resting over Jack's shoulder.

Jack had been unprepared for Yusei's sudden reaction and, blinking with confusion in his purple optics, he asked, _"Yusei?..."_

 _"No..."_ Yusei uttered. _"I can't do it... no, I won't do it... I won't allow it..."_ Yusei's arms tightened around his torso. _"You're the first person..."_ Yusei's chin trembled, but he managed to calm a bit. _"You're the first person outside of the family who has accepted us... I won't let that be in vain..."_ One of his hands lifted up, tangling into the back of Jack's hair. _"I'll fight for you... I'll do whatever it takes to convince him that you should keep your memories..."_

 _'Him?...'_ The thought only lingered in Jack's mind for a mere moment as he slowly brought his arms up and wrapped them around Yusei's waist. He thought back to the day he told his father he would move out of the house he had grown up in. Even though his father couldn't look at him directly, he had still pulled Jack into his arms and held him tightly and wished him the best. That had been the last time he'd hugged his father, or even seen him. No matter how much it pained him, he had reciprocated. His dad's arms were still as tight as the day they had been when he carried him out of class...

 _"Yusei..."_ Jack whispered, slipping his eyes closed.

He didn't want to forget.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

Updating just in time for Halloween. XD Didn't really plan on that but I just felt like it was time to post another chapter.

Thanks as always for reading guys!


	7. Chapter 7: A Split Lip

_**Chapter 7: A Split Lip**_

* * *

The night before had gone by in a blur. Jack hadn't even remembered what happened long after they told him their secret. All he could remember was falling asleep in Yusei's bed, the other boy nudged right up against his body through the entire night. When he awoke in the morning, he was confused at the warmth pressed right up against him until he looked down and saw Yusei's soft, peacefully sleeping face. His hands were nearby his stomach, twitching slightly, and Jack smiled a little at it. He was a little like a cat when he was asleep; being the physical embodiment of the cat from the Zodiac tale, he figured that was why.

Jack was careful as he slipped out of bed, and luckily it seemed like Yusei was a heavy sleeper. As soon as he was on his feet, he could feel the amount of energy present in his body that had been absent the day before. Of course, saying as you don't get over the flu in three days, he knew he would need to be out of school for a majority of the week, and he would need to call his boss and tell her he wouldn't be able to work.

 _'At least I feel well enough to take care of myself for the rest of the week,'_ he thought as he slipped his feet into his slippers and quietly crossed to the door and exited.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, Jack adjourned to the kitchen, and saying as it was still a bit early, he wasn't surprised to see Hikaru wasn't downstairs. He found the pot of leek soup in the fridge and decided to reheat some of it, figuring it would be good enough for breakfast, saying as he didn't want to push his stomach and end up throwing up. He always felt undignified when he threw up.

He sat down to eat at the dining room table not fifteen minutes later with a glass of water, and not long after he began his meal, he heard footsteps trudging through the hallway. He turned his head, seeing Yusei still in his pajamas and his hair slightly ruffled, slowly making his way into the room.

 _"Good morning..."_ Yusei seemed to mumble, stopping to lean against the door frame.

With a confused blink and expression of concern, Jack asked, "Are you alright?"

 _"Mmmmhmmm..."_ Yusei groaned. _"Sometimes... it just... takes me a while... to wake up... fully..."_ He did his best to shove himself off of the door frame. _"I need some coffee..."_ he concluded aloud.

It wasn't long after that a fresh pot of coffee had been brewed. Yusei retrieved the morning paper from the front porch, and when he returned to the dining room, he opened the doors to let in the morning air. There was silence for a while, and it was peaceful and nice, and frankly, welcomed. Jack ate his soup while Yusei drank his coffee and read the paper.

By the time Yusei reached the bottom of his mug, he let out a sigh of relief and said, "Boy, do I feel better now..."

"Did you sleep alright?" Jack asked before taking another spoonful of soup.

"I slept through the night." Yusei responded. He then picked his head up and asked, "Were you asleep by the time Hikaru came in last night?"

 _"Hm?"_ Jack questioned.

"I guess you were, then." Yusei responded. "Well, she woke up at five-thirty and took a train into the city to go see the head of our family."

"What for?" Jack asked.

"To see if... _he'll_ allow you to keep your memories." Yusei replied, growing a tad bit quiet.

 _"Huh?"_ Jack blinked and pondered a moment. "The head of your family... who is that?"

"He's the one who is in charge of the Zodiac." Yusei said. "He decides who can remember, and who needs their memories to be erased. Sometimes, somebody can decide to have it done on their own, but he always gives the final word."

"Why is there somebody in charge of you in the first place?"

Yusei looked down into his lap, folding his hands.

"Because..." he began. "Somebody has to keep us in line."

"What do you mean by that?"

Yusei looked up. "Well..." He trembled a little, but then brushed it off and said with a small smile, "Why don't we talk about something else?"

Jack took the message that this was a sensitive subject for Yusei, and merely nodded. "So, I don't suppose you know when Hikaru will be returning?"

"Probably not until tonight." Yusei replied. "But there's nothing to worry about. As soon as the crowds clear up after school, I'll be getting the work she missed from her teacher. Oh, and I can do the same for you, as well."

With a smile, Jack said, "That's very nice. Thank you." Then with a blink, he added, "But... do you think you could not say in front of the whole class that we're... living together?"

Yusei blinked, but kept his gaze on Jack, showing he was listening.

"I just don't want our private lives to be affected," Jack admitted. "Just think what those damn fan girls of ours would do if they knew the King and the Prince were living together..."

With a chuckle, Yusei looked to the side and said, "Probably something ridiculous. Like try to decree that this house is a castle."

With an amused breath out of his nose, Jack said with a smile, "How pissed would they be if they found out I was also living with a girl? They would ambush on Hikaru so quick, she wouldn't know what hit her..."

"Hika would turn the tables on them for sure," Yusei said. "Her and I have been undergoing training in martial arts ever since we were just little things. Our parents thought it would be a good thing; in case we were ever attacked by someone of the opposite sex and were in danger of transforming."

All of a sudden, Jack's eyes widened and he made a mental connection. _"So that's why..."_ he muttered.

 _"Huh?"_ Yusei questioned.

"Carly was asking me a few questions about you when we were having lunch on Friday," Jack replied. "Mainly because she'd heard about all of the girls you had to turn down, and how you avoided hugging them. That makes sense now..."

Closing his eyes with a sigh, Yusei said, "Yeah, that's exactly why..." He then chuckled. "My mother is right in a couple of ways; 'You have to suffer to be beautiful,' that's what she always says. I have no idea why the girls find me so attractive, though..."

"Maybe because on the inside, you're a little cuddly pussy cat~" Jack teased with a wink.

Both boys then broke out into laughter at that, Yusei needing to grip one of his sides as a result.

 ** _"Oh my GOD, how have I not seen it that way before?!"_** Yusei asked through the laughter.

* * *

A short while later, Yusei had breakfast with Jack, and the two were simply shooting the breeze with one another. Around the same time, the both of them finished their food, as Jack had been pacing himself, and Yusei seemed to be famished.

"So, I take it you like the soup, Jack?" Yusei asked as they were sitting back and digesting.

"Yes, very much." Jack said with a nod. "I'm actually quite fond of leeks. I could eat them every day and not get sick of them."

"I could, too," Yusei replied. "Sometimes for a late night snack, I just eat them raw."

"You know, when I was little, I absolutely hated leeks." Jack said, rolling his head back, leaning on his hands and staring up at the ceiling. "Every time my parents tried to make me eat them, they made me physically ill; so bad that one time I threw up afterwards, and they opted to stop forcing me to try them. For the longest time, I would even be nauseated by just the smell of them. And then one day when I was twelve and my father and I were sick, Mama was brewing up leek soup, and the smell was so enticing that I crawled out of bed, went down to the kitchen, and asked her what smelled so good." He rolled his head back and chuckled. "Boy, was she surprised. She didn't even tell me it was leeks until after I'd had two bowls. After that, she always made sure we'd have them with dinner a few times a week."

Yusei gave a small smile. "Well, over time, our taste buds change. Sometimes things smell good when usually they smell bad when we're sick, and vice versa. I remember there was a period of time where beef used to nauseate me... but then my father was grilling burgers one summer, and they smelled heavenly. There's nothing like a thick, juicy, Angus beef burger on a summer day."

"Or a pot of stewed leeks on a cold winter evening." Jack suggested.

"Indeed." Yusei nodded.

The morning continued on in a casual manner, and before they knew it, Yusei had fifteen minutes to get to school before the warning bell. Yusei told Jack to rest in his bed all he liked today, saying as he had a television and a laptop he could use, and as soon as he changed into his school uniform, he was out the door after bidding him goodbye.

After making sure the doors in the dining room were closed, Jack headed back upstairs. Before he returned to Yusei's bedroom, he stopped in his own to retrieve his cell phone from his backpack. Luckily it hadn't gotten too wet on Friday evening by being in an inside pocket, but he knew he'd feel a little better once he took it out and turned it on. Just in case somebody tried to get into contact with him.

As luck would have it, it vibrated when it had booted up, alerting him to a voice-mail. He sat down on the bed and called to listen to it.

 _ **"Jack, it's Dad."**_

Jack gasped at the sound of his father's familiar, strong, deep voice.

 _ **"I know it's much too early for you to be awake, but I wanted to call you to check up on you while I can. Carly contacted me over the weekend; she told me you have the flu."**_

 _'Carly...'_ Jack thought solemnly.

 ** _"She also told me that you moved in with one of your fellow classmates. I'm a little relieved to hear that you won't be living alone... she told me that you get along quite well. I'm very glad to hear this."_**

Jack's lips began to tremble, so he did his best to push them together to try and get them to stop.

 ** _"And Jack... above all else... I just want to let you know that I love you. I love you very much, son, and I'm so sorry that it has to be this way... I miss you very much. But... we both know now that this distance, for a period of time, will do us both good. I hope that some time soon, we'll be able to see each other again."_**

Jack slipped his eyes closed, letting lone tears streak down his cheeks.

 _ **"If there is anything you need, I'm only a call away. If I don't pick up right away, I promise I'll call back as soon as I can."**_ There was a pause for a moment, in which his father had sighed softly. _**"I'll find the time to call you again later. I understand if you won't pick up; you need to rest..."**_ A soft sniffle was heard. **_"Alright, son. I hope you're doing alright. Feel better now, okay? I love you very much..."_**

After the sound of his father hanging up had been heard, Jack ended his call to voice-mail. He held his phone in his hands and stared down at it, as if in wonder. A few moments later, he breathed in and out deeply, and took it off of vibrate. He set it on the night table, absentmindedly turned on the television, and laid down.

* * *

"My dad called today."

Yusei's head snapped up and he stared across the table to Jack, who stared down into his tea cup.

"He called early this morning when I was still asleep." Jack said. "He said he wanted to check up on me."

"Did you call him back?" Yusei questioned.

"No..." Jack replied. "But he did call again by one..." He sunk his head down lower. "It nearly went to voice-mail before I had the gall to answer it..."

Yusei blinked. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah... as alright as he can be, I guess..." Jack sighed. "He kept apologizing, telling me he loves me, and said he wishes that things could be different." He slipped his eyes closed. "But honestly, I don't even need to hear any of it." He opened his eyes again. "With the way things were before... it was already like I was living alone. I think we're both better off with the way things are right now..." He picked his head up a bit. "I told him not to bother calling for a while. It seemed like he was forcing himself to check up on me... so I told him I'd call him if I need to."

Yusei knit his eyebrows together. "Are you alright?"

"... Yeah..." Jack tightened his grip around his tea cup. "It's just a little difficult to think of him right now." He sighed. "But... just because I know this is all for the best, it doesn't mean it's any less painful."

Yusei almost found himself responding to that. His mouth had opened, attempting to let out any syllables, but he found himself short. When Jack picked his head back up, he slowly let his mouth shut and looked down. _'That's how I feel about erasing someone's memories,'_ he said in his mind, because he couldn't out loud.

There was a long, uninterrupted silence between the two boys. Just as Yusei was about to speak again, the sound of the front door opening distracted the two. _**"Yusei, Jakku, tadaima!"**_

Yusei stood up as her footsteps were heard rushing to the dining room, and he gasped as she stepped in. " ** _Onee-chan!_** You're..."

Hikaru only gave out a soft "humph" at her brother's reaction. There was a light bruise on her left cheek, a bit of dried blood beneath her nostrils, and her bottom lip was split open.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Jack asked with wide eyes.

"I was roughed up a little for _'speaking out of term'_ , or some shit like that." Hikaru responded, crossing her arms. "That bastard still hasn't grasped the fact that I don't take shit from him. In the end, I think he came out more bloody than I did." With a sinister grin, she added, "Papa had to restrain me before I broke his nose."

 _'What kind of a family is this?...'_ Jack wondered in slight horror.

"But, all the same," Hikaru began, walking to the table and sitting down on a tatami mat. "Papa assured that your memory won't have to be erased, Jack. My little scuffle with our oh-so-wonderfully-pleasant head of the family happened when he was meeting with me so as to 'check up on me', or something like that."

"So then," Yusei sat back down. "Jack can stay here, and he doesn't need to forget anything?"

"Affirmative," Hikaru responded, tucking her hair behind her right ear. "Papa made sure that my little fight with him didn't change his mind at all. All the bastard had to say about me afterward was, _'You were always such a problem child, Hikaru.'_ " She scoffed. " _'Problem child'_... **_peh_**. Not _nearly_ as much trouble as _he_ is."

 _ **"That's great!"**_ Yusei said, flinging his arms around Hikaru and holding her tightly. "Thank you, Onee-chan. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that trouble..."

"Eh, don't mention it." Hikaru said, waving one of her hands before she reciprocated the hug from her brother. "Besides, it wasn't just for you. It was for all of us." She turned her gaze to Jack and said with a small smile, "With all that's happened so far, it feels like the three of us are our own little family." Her smile then turned into a grin. "Plus, it'll be fun having two boys to tease now."

Jack merely blushed slightly at that statement, but Yusei fisted his hands on Hikaru's shirt and turned completely red, nearly burying his face in her bosom.

"See that, right there!" Hikaru teased.

Eventually the two parted and Jack turned to Hikaru and bowed.

"Thank you very much for allowing me to stay." Jack said. "It must not have been easy to persuade the head of your family to let me stay..."

"Actually, I didn't do a thing to persuade him." Hikaru replied.

Jack blinked and straightened back up.

"My father went in to talk to him about that for me. He never tends to deal with children directly..." Hikaru flicked her hair out of her eyes. "At least who he considers to be children. So, really, anyone who's younger than he is." She locked her eyes with Jack's and said, "I have no idea what my father said to convince him to let you stay, but whatever he said did the trick. He wouldn't give you the day of the week, even if his life depended on it, just because you didn't ask it the right way."

"Well..." Jack began. "If I can ever meet your father, I'll have to thank him."

Hikaru smiled at that. "I'm sure he'd like to meet the kid I beat up the head of the family for." She then turned her head to Yusei and said, "Well, Twinny-chan, saying as I don't feel like cooking, and it's a day for us to celebrate, why don't we order out from Jinaka's?"

"Well, why not?" Yusei said with a smile that seemed to brighten up his face. Jack noticed how happy he seemed to be, and he smiled, too.

 _'Whatever the future has in store for us... I can't wait to see what happens.'_

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

Dear lord I suck at updating steadily I'm sorry. ToT Life keeps throwing something my way; busy times at work, I had two anime conventions in the last two months, been getting sick a lot lately... anyways hopefully I'll remember to update sooner next time! I'm still working on Chapter 18 and I'm hoping to give it a final polish soon when I have the time to sit and concentrate on it.

Thanks as always for reading, I hope you're enjoying it!


	8. Chapter 8: Welcome Home, Jack

**_Chapter 8: Welcome Home, Jack_**

* * *

Before Jack even knew it, he was back to school and feeling better than ever. He had missed school through Wednesday, so while going back on Thursday felt a little pointless, he none the less still wanted to get back to school. Spending his sick days alone was making him a little lonely, as well as stir-crazy. Yusei noted with a smile how happy he seemed to be when the three of them stepped out the door on Thursday morning. The amount of energy Jack had, saying as it had to have built up when he was sitting around with nothing to do but rest, seemed to be pretty substantial. He could only imagine how pumped he would be for Gym that day.

Carly was more than thrilled to see Jack at the school gates that morning, and wasn't shy at all when he approached her, pulling him immediately into a hug that had some of the girls lingering around in the girls' school yard glowering at her in jealousy. Especially when she parted with her dear, adoptive little brother by holding one of her hands on his face while her lips planted a friendly kiss on his cheek. He tried to ignore her lip gloss having come off a little on his cheek, leaving a shimmering kiss mark, but what he really hoped was that the other girls wouldn't chastise her for being so close with him. Hopefully, if they had any sense in their head, which they most likely did not, they would drop the subject if her sexuality was revealed to them.

Jack would admit that he once had a small crush on Carly; she was a beautiful girl a grade ahead of him who had taken him under her wing and became one of his very first friends. They both knew that they loved each other very much, but as time evolved, it turned not into the romance they had expected, but a big sister, little brother relationship that they hadn't. Neither of them had siblings, so they fit together in that aspect damn near perfectly. It made things painless when Carly came out to Jack when she was fourteen, telling him, "I'm a lesbian."

In essence, Jack almost felt like Carly was his last sense of normalcy.

Jack wore a small smile for a majority of the day. He smiled when his teacher handed him his new blazer, which had arrived during his absence, and he smiled when he enveloped his body with the remainder of his missing uniform; the blue blazer with two golden buttons to keep it closed. He never buttoned both of them, just the top button, while he left the bottom one undone.

His brain worked with fervor as he jotted down notes so quickly that the teacher couldn't quite keep up with him; he honestly had never been this happy to be back in school before. By the time Gym rolled around, he felt so abuzz with energy that he was glad to change quickly in the locker room before heading outside to the soccer field. He and Yusei teamed up together for one-on-one practice before they were split up into teams, each of them putting on a loose, colored jersey over their Gym clothes to differentiate the two teams. The two house mates made it onto the same team; Jack took an offense position, and the rest of the team opted for Yusei to be the goalie, as he had proven to be one of the best when it came to defense. Most likely with all of his history in turning down girls, and sometimes needing to push them away.

That, and his martial arts training also seemed to come in handy.

By the time Gym was over and their team had won, Jack began to cough lightly a bit persistently. Once they returned to the classroom, he dug out his inhaler and inhaled two puffs, feeling his chest stop constricting around his lungs.

He joined the Fudos for lunch, as Carly was busying herself in the GSA club room with some of her fellow members, and the three sat and laughed with each other beneath the tree where the two siblings always had lunch with each other. Hikaru even poked fun at Jack for being so lively during Gym, having seen him in action from over the fence. All of the teasing aside, she was glad to see him so full of energy, and able to eat solid food again. She had nearly pissed herself laughing when she had witnessed Jack practically inhaling his food the night before.

"The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach," she had said.

By the end of the day, Jack was parting ways with his new house mates and walked downtown to his job with Carly. When he returned home, to his surprise the twins had been waiting on him to eat dinner, where they announced that his bed had been delivered when they got home. Yusei had put it together in no time, saying as he was quite the handyman, as Jack had come to learn. So handy that, in fact, he took apart their microwave and fixed it himself when he had been bored on Tuesday afternoon. One less thing to spend money on.

"I've been taking things apart and putting them back together since I was just a little thing." Yusei had told Jack when he was testing to make sure that the microwave was working again. "Anything I can get my hands on that has screws, I can take apart and figure out how it works. Hell, if you toss something broken my way, I can fix it just by taking it apart figuring out the problem like that. My father says that I'm a mechanical genious."

"I can see why." Jack had replied.

Friday came and went in the same way that Thursday had, but Jack was more than happy to sleep in on Saturday, cozied up underneath his blankets and quilt. When he had been making his bed on Thursday evening, Yusei asked him where he had gotten such a beautiful quilt.

"My mother made it." Jack had told him. "She always really liked making things by hand. She gave it to me for my birthday last year."

"Say," Yusei began. "When is your birthday, anyway?"

"Not until November." Jack replied. "November seventh."

When Jack woke up on Saturday, with sunshine peaking through the windows and heard the sounds of the happy birds content to just sing the morning away, he felt more at home than he had that entire week. As he sat up in bed, he looked out the window that overlooked the front of the house, and the path that went through the woods and led into town. He smiled at the beautiful morning and the clear blue sky.

With a turn of his head, he looked at his mother's picture on the night stand. He smiled at her and said, "Good morning, Mama."

* * *

"So Jack, have any plans for today?" Hikaru inquired as the trio was preparing breakfast together. She was on omelet duty, while Yusei prepared breakfast sausage and bacon, and Jack was chopping up fruit for a fruit salad.

"I'm meeting Carly at Little Cup o' Joe's around eleven." Jack replied. "We usually have coffee together at least once a week, so she called me up last night and asked if I'd like to go."

"Do you think you could do us a favor and pick up some groceries before you come back?" Hikaru asked. "We're short on some things. I've got a list written out and I'll give you the money."

"Sure, no problem." Jack said, dropping cut-up strawberries into the bowl for the fruit salad. "So what do you two have planned today?"

"Well, first things first, I've gotta help my Twinny-chan out with cleaning and organizing that God-awful room of his." Hikaru said. "Then we may just bake something. Cookies or cupcakes, something fun and something made of sugar."

"Does the laundry need to be done?" Jack asked.

"That can wait till tomorrow." Yusei said. "We need detergent."

"No, I think it's the fabric softener we need." Hikaru said.

"Are you sure? That doesn't seem right to me." Yusei replied.

"Well, which one is the one with the teddy bear on it?" Hikaru asked.

"Man, it's no wonder the washing machine always overflows on us..." Yusei said.

Jack's face dead-panned. "How helpless are you two?" he asked.

"Well, Mr. I'm-A-Big-Fat-Genious-Head, do you know how to tell apart the detergent and the softener?" Hikaru asked in a teasing, mocking tone.

"The one with the teddy bear on it is the fabric softener." Jack replied. "I'd think that one is obvious."

"... _How_ , exactly?" Hikaru asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Because teddy bears are soft." Jack said. "Any moron can figure that one out."

Yusei sweat-dropped as Hikaru remained silent. "We really have a silver spoon mentality, don't we, Onee-chan?"

It was after breakfast when Jack got dressed and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. He made sure to bring his inhaler and umbrella, as Yusei had advised him it might rain.

"The last thing we need is you becoming bedridden again. You just got well, after all!" the younger boy had told him.

Jack made it to the cafe by quarter to eleven, and was surprised to see Carly already there, ordering their coffee. He stood beside her at the counter, pushed her hands down when they held up her wallet, and said, "I'll pay for us this time. I still owe you one anyway, remember?"

Before he knew it, they were sitting at a table near the window, and Carly was leaning on her hands and smiling at him.

"So Jack, how are things going with your new house mates?" she asked.

"Pretty good." Jack replied, setting down his cup after he took a drink. "It's so weird; I've only been living with them for a week now, but our environment feels so natural."

"It's really showing, you know." Carly responded. "How happy you've been."

Jack blinked. "It is?"

"Mm-hm." Carly nodded. "You seem so much more at peace with yourself and everyone around you... it's almost like you're back to your old self again."

"... Did..." Jack began. "Did I really change that much after Mama...?"

With a soft sigh, staring down at the table top, Carly said, "Yes." She stared down at the table top from behind her glasses and went on. "I know you must still be grieving for having lost her, but... it's seemed like there's been something missing from you for the past few months. Maybe because of your father becoming so distant... it made you so that you felt like you didn't have a family anymore." She picked up her gaze and looked at Jack now. "But nowadays, you seem to be happy and functioning on a level I haven't seen from you in a long time. It almost seems as if... you have a family again."

Jack merely stared back at her for a moment before he looked down at his coffee cup, into the depths of the blackish-brown liquid, and he smiled. "Yeah... it kinda does."

Carly smiled at him whole-heartedly. "I'm glad. You deserve one. I know that things may have never been the same ever since she passed away, but, I'm just glad you found a place where you can be happy."

 _'I just wish you didn't have to be so stubborn...'_

* * *

Jack didn't look at the shopping list until after he'd parted ways with Carly. He then saw that Hikaru had written several lists on the same piece of paper, indicating the various stores he had to visit to get what they specifically needed.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you, Hikaru?..." he growled to himself, close to crumbling the list in his shaking hand.

 _'Why the hell do they need milk of magnesia, anyway?...'_

Jack found it to be irritating, needing to go from place to place to get what Hikaru specifically wrote down from each store. When he got to the pharmacy, he ignored _**'Tampons ;P'**_ on the list, simply because he could tell she had put it there to make him flustered at the idea of purchasing tampons.

Despite his irritation, he counted his blessings that he could fit most of the groceries in his messenger bag so that his walk home wouldn't include lugging around heavy plastic bags that would be at risk of tearing. He even found himself to be relatively calm when it began to rain. He simply opened up his umbrella and pressed onwards.

All in all, despite how time-consuming his day was, he was glad that Hikaru had also written a little note to him at the bottom of the list.

 ** _'I gave you plenty of money, so if there's anything you want or need to get, feel free to.'_**

It was a little thing, but he did appreciate it.

As he walked down a sidewalk full of store fronts, he rolled around in his head what he still needed to do in his bedroom. The twins had already paid for his bed, a dresser and night stand, and he was going to order a desk on Monday. He pictured his room in his head while he walked along, imagining where he should hang picture frames and posters.

When he stopped at a cross walk to wait for the light to change, he heard a rustling from beside him. He turned his head to the right and looked down, seeing something covered up by a newspaper. Blinking, Jack leaned down and picked it up and looked beneath it. Two little fuzzy faces popped out from the deteriorating paper, and when he lifted the newspaper off of them entirely, he saw they were a pair of kittens; one brown and one white.

Jack picked his head up and looked around. There was next to nobody in sight, and no one seemed to look, care or pay attention when the little fuzzballs started to meow. He looked back down at the little things, who were looking straight up at him. He held out a hand toward them, and smiled when they rubbed their heads against it in affection. He knew then and there that the cute little creatures were trying to win him over. And that they had won.

He closed his umbrella and scooped them up into his arm. They were both so little that he only needed one to carry them in.

Hoping that the rain would soon let up, he headed back home.

* * *

On an impulse, Jack had stepped into a pet store to get the kittens food. He was happy to see the rain had turned into a drizzle, and soon enough was walking through the path in the woods back to the house.

As soon as he stepped inside, he set down the grocery bags and his umbrella and called out, _**"Yusei, Hikaru, tadaima! You'll never guess what I found!"**_

Minutes later, he was sitting in the dining room with the twins, and he set down the little kittens in front of him.

"Aw, look at them," Yusei cooed, reaching out to pet them with one of his hands. They responded positively and with purrs raking through their bodies. "Where on Earth were they?"

"Under a newspaper in the rain," Jack responded.

"Where do you think they came from?" Yusei asked.

"Who can say, there's stray cats everywhere." Jack said. "Everyone else wasn't paying attention to them. I couldn't leave them out there for dead..."

"Well, what better place to bring them than here?" Hikaru said. "Cats are attracted to Yusei."

"Are they?" Jack blinked.

"Yeah." Hikaru nodded. "He's the spirit of the cat, so his aura is like catnip to them. Likewise, rats are attracted to me. I had one for a pet when I was younger."

"And actually, our family did have a cat back in the city." Yusei said. "It'd be nice to have animals around here."

"I concur," Hikaru said, reaching out to pet the kittens as well. "Lets start brainstorming names. But right now, it's time for dinner!"

Jack made sure to set down two saucers of kitten food for the kittens to eat while the table was set.

He was surprised to see several of his favorite foods among the table when they sat down; fried riceballs with fried shrimp, stewed leeks, and baked sweet potatoes. It wasn't until all three of them said, " _Itadakimasu,_ " in unison that Yusei looked in Jack's direction.

"Jack, tonight we're celebrating." Yusei told him.

"Celebrating what?" Jack asked.

"You've been living here for a week now, and I got the idea a few days ago for us to have a welcoming party for you." Yusei replied with a small smile. "I called up Carly and her parents to ask them what some of your favorite foods are. Of course, I already knew about the leeks." His smile was soft, warm and radiant on his peach-tanned face. "Welcome home, Jack."

"And welcome to the family!" Hikaru added, holding up her glass.

With a smile on his face, Jack clinked his glass with theirs in cheers.

Their meal was filled with laughter and banter, and just when Jack thought he couldn't eat another bite, Yusei brought out a vanilla cake with blue-colored butter cream frosting. There was white icing written across the top of the cake that said, _**'Welcome Home'**_ on it.

After having a pleasant meal followed by dessert with the twins, Jack certainly felt as if he were a part of a family. And he couldn't have been happier.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

Jack finding the kittens in the rain was inspired by Takano finding Sorata in Sekaiichi Hatsukoi. I really love the manga and the anime. X3

Super sorry for the long wait since the last update... T.T I lost track of time the last few weeks. Work and the holidays had me swamped...

Luckily though I recently finished chapter 18. :3 So I'm slowly getting more done!

Dunno when I'll update again though... but I thought this would be a nice surprise for the end of the year.

Happy New Year everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :3


	9. Chapter 9: The Stubborn Ox, Part 1

Hey guys! Sorry for such a long wait between updates, still kinda stuck with writer's block on this. And I know it's kinda late, but I wanted to upload this for Dark Angel Of Wind's birthday! :3 Happy Birthday Sissy-cha, I hope you like this rather long chapter. I think it's the longest one I've posted so far.

Anyways, enjoy! And Happy Birthday Sissy-cha. 3

* * *

 ** _Chapter 9: The Stubborn Ox, Part 1_**

* * *

Jack sighed in bliss beneath the sun as he strolled back home with two bags of groceries in his hand.

Another week had rolled by and it was once again Saturday. Carly had asked him to get coffee with her again that morning, which prompted Hikaru to ask him to pick up a few things on his way home. He assumed, from how different the list was this week, that she had intentionally made him go all around town on a wild goose-chase looking for things to keep him occupied as her and Yusei cooked and baked for their small welcoming party. As Jack had left that morning, he could smell something baking, so he assumed the twins were busying themselves again.

The pair of kittens Jack had brought home the week before had grown quite attached to them all, as well. They were both girls, and both looked like they were long-haired. They bought them each a collar, and named the white one Shirotabi, and the brown one Tamashii. True to Hikaru's word, they seemed to favor Yusei among the three. Jack did like when they would crawl up onto someone's lap and curl up and fall asleep on them.

"It's like they're thankful that we took them in." Yusei had observed one night. The three were gathered in the dining room doing their homework together, as Jack was tutoring the twins, and of course the kittens had come to join them. They clambered into Yusei's lap, purred and fell asleep, snuggling with one another.

As Jack came toward the path that led into the woods, he blinked at the sight of someone dressed in mostly black disappearing through the trees down the path. "Who could it be?..." he wondered aloud, hurrying along a bit so he could try catching up with them.

When Jack was soon wandering down the path himself, he didn't see the black-clad man and hurried up, hardly aware of the plastic bags in his hand crinkling and making noise. He jumped and let out a screech when a hand was placed onto his shoulder. " _Excuse me._ " an oddly, friendly voice greeted his ears.

 _ **"What the hell are you do-"**_ Jack's eyes widened when his gaze met eyes of a gold so pure from beneath the other man's hood. The golden-eyed one pushed his hood back with his free hand, revealing light, pale blue hair on his head that was so long it was tucked in the back of his coat. There was also a yellow, lightning-bolt-like tattoo down the right side of his face, and seated on his left shoulder was a large, fluffy black cat with bright amber eyes.

 _'Why does he seem so familiar...'_

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." the man apologized. "Could you possibly help me? I'm looking for my cousins' house."

Jack was at ease in a moment, his shoulders no longer tense, and he responded with, "Well, for starters, you ought to get out of these woods. This is private property."

"I'm well aware." the bluenette responded.

"Then why did you wander in here in the first place?!" Jack snapped.

"Because this is where my cousins live." the man replied. "They live in a house in these woods."

Jack blinked, and a moment later, asked, "You're related to Yusei and Hikaru?"

"Yeah." he nodded. "We're cousins."

Jack sweat-dropped sheepishly. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"That's fine." the man replied. "Do you know where they live?"

"Yeah, they took me in as a tenant two weeks ago." Jack said with a nod.

"So you're the one."

Jack blinked. "Beg your pardon?"

"You wouldn't mind escorting me to their house, would you?" the bluenette asked. "I get lost very easily, as I don't have a very good sense of direction."

Jack sweat-dropped. "Even with a path to follow?" The man merely nodded. Jack merely stared at him and thought, _'Is it really possible for someone to be **that** stupid?'_ before he turned and said, "Fine, just follow me." as he started back down the path.

"Thank you very much." the man said, following after him.

* * *

 _ **"Tadaima!"**_ Jack called once the door was closed behind him and the twins' cousin. **_"Hikaru, Yusei, where are you?!"_**

 ** _"Kitchen!"_** Yusei's voice called.

 _ **"Livin' room, Assless!~"**_ Hikaru sung out.

 _ **"Well, I found something you guys might wanna see!"**_

 _ **"You didn't bring home another pussy, did you, Assless?!"**_ Hikaru shouted.

Dead-panning and stepping into the vestibule now that he and the bluenette were sans shoes, Jack called out, _**"No, but I'll give you a hint: it's related to you, and it has a terrible sense of direction!"**_

 _ **"I don't get it!"**_ Hikaru called out.

Jack then walked into the living room with the bluenette trailing behind him. As soon as Hikaru laid her eyes on the both of them, she sat upright and shuffled around for the Blu-Ray player remote before she paused the anime she was watching. With a grin on her face she then rose to her feet, and without hesitating she threw her arms around the black-clad bluenette and exclaimed, _**"Kiryu! How the hell are ya, you bastard?!"**_

"I'm doing pretty well. A little cold, but pretty well." the bluenette responded, reciprocating Hikaru's hug.

"Kiryu-san!" Yusei said as he came through the door and joined in the hug, officially making it a group hug.

"How cute, you still call me 'san', _watashi no kawaii itoko~_ " the bluenette, Kiryu, responded. ("cute cousin of mine")

Yusei made a face at Kiryu's remark, but none the less went on to ask him, "What on Earth are you doing here?"

"Hey," Hikaru suddenly unwound her arms from Kiryu and planted her index finger on his nose. " _He_ didn't send you to 'check up on us to see how we're adjusting' or some other kind of bull crap, did he?"

"No, but admittedly, your parents sent me." Kiryu replied. "They said that they've spoken to you on the phone a few times since you took in the tenant, but haven't really had much to tell them."

"And that's what I love about this town." Yusei said with a smile, letting Kiryu go. "There's no traffic, not too many jerks, the air is clean, and it's so peaceful here that I can actually hear myself thinking again."

With raised eyebrows, Kiryu said, "I thought I smelled smoke."

Hikaru then smacked him across the face with the back of her hand. "Oy, quit pickin' fun of my precious Twinny-chan! He's really smart!"

 ** _"Ow..."_** Kiryu sounded like he was whining as he stroked his cheek with his hands. "That was mean, Hikaru-chan..."

"You deserved it." Hikaru said with her arms wound around Yusei's neck from behind.

"What the hell?" Jack suddenly said with his eyes wide and blinking.

"Eh?" Hikaru looked over at Jack. "What'sa'matta you, Assless?" she questioned.

"... Okay, so both the times I've hugged you before, you turned into a rat. But why the hell didn't it happen just now?!" Jack asked. He pointed a finger at Kiryu, who kept up his neutral face, and said, "He just hugged you and you didn't turn!"

Hikaru blinked, and then began to chuckle. "Man, I didn't think that you'd _ever_ catch onto that! But," She snuggled her cheek against Yusei's. "Twinny-chan gave you the benefit of the doubt, y'know, sayin' as you're really smart and all."

"And why isn't it happening now, either?" Jack asked.

"Well, we honestly have no idea why that is." Hikaru responded. "As it turns out, members of the Zodiac can't transform when they hug one another. Probably because we're one in the same; being of the Zodiac and all."

"Kiryu's a member of the Zodiac, like we are." Yusei added on. "So that's why he and Hikaru didn't transform like they would to a non-cursed person."

Jack blinked. "Wow... how is that possible?"

"Our mother thinks it has to do with a cosmic aura that we all seem to possess," Yusei said. "It sort of has to do with the fact that our souls possess a little part that causes us to transform when we're hugged by the opposite sex, that a non-cursed person doesn't hold. Because our souls are alike in this aspect, it doesn't trigger our transformations."

" _Cosmic aura..._ " Jack repeated. "Wow. Sounds kind of fancy when you say it like that."

"Makes me wonder what would happen if someone of the Zodiac was born as a hermaphrodite," Hikaru wondered aloud as she rolled her head back in thought.

Yusei sweat-dropped, and for everybody's sake, said, "Why don't we continue this discussion in the dining room..." He pulled himself away from his sister's embrace and then turned toward the doorway. "I'll go make some tea."

"I'll help." Jack said, following after him.

* * *

Jack and Yusei sat down in their usual spots at the table after Jack placed down a tray with tea cups and the tea pot on the table and Yusei placed down a plate of cookies he had baked that afternoon. Hikaru sat across from Jack, Yusei sat at the head of the table, and Kiryu sat down at the other end of the table by the open doors. The cat that had been on his shoulders was sitting on the tatami mat next to Jack, curled up and asleep.

Kiryu smiled at Yusei from across the table as the younger boy smoothed out his apron as he sat down. "Yusei-kun, you're getting cuter and cuter every time I see you." he said, leaning his chin on his hand. Yusei looked across the table from him with a blush and what appeared to be a glare. "That apron you're wearing makes you look like a cute little housewife."

"You've got ulterior motives aside from checking up on us for our parents, don't you?" Yusei asked bluntly.

"I haven't the faintest idea to what you're talking about." Kiryu replied.

Yusei merely closed his eyes and sighed. _"Baka..."_

"Tea anyone?" Jack asked, picking up the tea pot and pouring the tea into the cups.

"Yes, thank you." Kiryu said, reaching his hand out to Jack's to take the cup from him. Their fingers brushed against one anothers for a moment, and Jack could feel just how cold he was for that moment in time. Kiryu brought the cup to his lips and took a drink from it, and afterwards he sighed and said, "Man, that's nice and warm..."

"Did you get lost on your way here?" Hikaru asked.

"Yes." Kiryu admitted.

"And it didn't occur to you at any time to call us or ask for directions?" she added.

"Save it, Karu. You know how stubborn and set in his ways he is." Yusei said with his eyes on his sister.

"Honestly, what is with most men and asking for directions?" Hikaru sighed before she stuffed an entire cookie into her mouth.

"You're so charming, Hika-chan." Kiryu said.

 _ **"Damn straight, son!"**_ she exclaimed with her fist on her chest.

Kiryu merely turned his head from his cousin to Jack and said, "I'm sorry I haven't properly introduced myself to you." With a small smile, he placed his right hand on his chest and said, "My name is Kiryu Kyosuke; as you already figured out, I'm Hikaru and Yusei's cousin, and I'm a member of the Zodiac. You must be their tenant."

"Yeah, that's me." Jack said with a nod. "I'm Jack Atlas. Yusei and I are in the same class."

"I heard about you from my uncle; their father." Kiryu said. "It isn't every day that an outsider who learns of the curse accepts it, and is also allowed by the head of the family to remember it."

"So I've heard." Jack replied.

Kiryu then extended his hand out and asked, "Would you mind passing me a cookie?" Jack nodded and picked one up from the plate before he placed it into the pale bluenette's hand. "Thank you." He took a bite from the still-warm chocolate chip cookie, and smiled after he swallowed it. "Hikaru, Yusei, the two of you cook as well as your mother does."

"Hardly." Hikaru said with the wave of a hand. "And I can't take any credit for those; Yusei was the one who was baking. I've just been watching _Death Note_ all day."

With a small smirk, Kiryu landed his golden eyes on Yusei and said, "I thought they had a hint of kawaii in them."

"Kiryu, are you on some sort of behavioral medication?" Jack questioned.

Kiryu blinked in confusion. "No. Why?"

"Well, you're just..." Jack paused for a moment. "Speaking a little oddly."

"You'll have to forgive our socially inept cousin, Jakku." Hikaru said, waving her hand. "He only has two major personalities."

Jack's jaw hung open and he asked, "Pe-personalities?"

"They're not so much personalities as they are my expressions." Kiryu replied. He then looked up toward the ceiling and asked, "Or is it more like emotions?..."

"Excuse him, he's just a bit dense." Yusei said. "As a child, he used to be very sickly and very angry, and hadn't any ways to vent until he was strong enough to learn martial arts alongside the rest of us." He traced the rim of his tea cup with his index finger. "As a result, he has a bit of a personality disorder. We call him as he is now, calm and happy, White Kiryu, and when he's angry and aggressive, Black Kiryu. Black and white, like a cow."

"Fitting, as I am the ox of the Zodiac." Kiryu replied.

"Fitting, as you're _stubborn_ as an ox." Hikaru retorted.

Kiryu's cat on the tatami mat next to Jack yawned, gave a tired mewl, and rolled over. Kiryu reached his hand over and scratched beneath her chin, and her head went up as she immediately began to purr, leaning into his touch. "This here's Sakaki," Kiryu said. "She's my baby. She almost never leaves my side. I'm even allowed to bring her to school, the only condition being that she doesn't distract me during class, and that someone who's allergic to cats can't be transferred into my class."

"What grade are you in?" Jack asked.

"I'm a junior in high school," Kiryu replied, picking Sakaki up and placing her in his lap, where she laid like a lump and merely relaxed beneath his pets. "I would be a senior if I hadn't been so sick when I was younger. I wasn't healthy enough to start school when I was old enough for it."

"You honestly look a lot older than you say." Jack said.

"I get that a lot." Kiryu replied, brushing a bit of hair out of his face with his left hand. "Probably because I'm so mature."

 _"Ppffth."_ Yusei snorted. " _Please_ , Kiryu. You wouldn't know maturity if it jumped up and bit you right in the ass."

Kiryu, with a doting look in his eyes, stared at Yusei from across the table and said, "Aw, have I upset you, Kitten?"

 ** _"Stop embarrassing me!"_** Yusei shouted with his face flushed red.

"What's there to be so embarrassed about?" Kiryu asked.

"Well for one, my elder cousin is practically courting me in front of my house mate and friend!" Yusei replied.

"Now who said anything about courting?" Kiryu asked, shrugging and giving a nonchalant gesture with his hands.

" _Stuff it_ , Ki, we _both_ know you have ulterior motives." Yusei said, turning his head away from Kiryu as he crossed his arms.

"Aw, c'mon, you're _adorable!_ " Kiryu chimed.

 ** _Brrrrriiiiiiing!_**

"I'll get it!" Jack said, standing in a moment before he bolted out of the room, having not liked the feel of the tension within it. Especially when it seemed like Kiryu was hitting on his house mate.

 ** _"There, you see? You made him uncomfortable!"_** he heard Yusei say.

 _ **"Aw, Kitten, don't go to bed angry. You never snuggle with me when you're angry!"**_

 _ **"If you think I'm sharing my bed with you tonight, you are**_ **dead wrong** _ **!"**_

Jack didn't even think about looking at the caller ID before he picked up the phone in the kitchen and said, "Hello?"

 _ **"Hello?"**_ a deep voice replied from the other end.

"Who's this?" Jack asked.

 _ **"Dr. Fudo. To whom am I speaking with?"**_

Jack gasped quietly at that, and quickly responded with, "This is Jack. I'm Yusei's classmate; the one he took in."

 _ **"Ah, alright then. I almost thought I'd dialed the wrong number."**_ Dr. Fudo responded. _**"I wanted to check in on them. Their cousin was supposed to arrive yesterday evening, but I haven't heard from him yet."**_

Jack blinked for a moment. "Excuse me a moment." He took the phone away from his head and shouted, _**"KIRYU, YOU GOT LOST FOR AN ENTIRE DAY?!"**_

 _ **"What in the hell are you talking about?!"**_ Hikaru called back.

 ** _"Your father is on the phone! He said that Kiryu was supposed to be here by last night!"_** Jack called back.

 ** _"Are you shitting me?!"_** Yusei shouted. _**"Kiryu, you're a grade-A moron!"**_

 _ **"Ah, shut up, you fuzzy little jackass!"**_ Kiryu's voice suddenly snapped.

Jack sweat-dropped and blinked as the yelling continued and brought the phone back to his ear. "I apologize for all this noise..."

 _ **"I'm quite used to it."**_ the doctor responded. _**"Just do me a favor and try to get Kiryu on the phone for me, will you? I have a few choice words in store for him."**_

"Certainly. I'll be back as soon as I can." Jack replied before he placed the phone down onto the kitchen table. As he made his way back to the dining room, he called out, _**"Hey genious! Your uncle wants to talk to - WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"**_

 _ **"CAN IT, BLONDIE!"**_ Kiryu shouted, Yusei pinned against the wall as he held him there by his apron.

 _"WHY YOU LITTLE-"_ Jack swung his fist and socked Kiryu across the face, effectively knocking him off of his feet and across the floor, where he knocked his head into the wall. With a red face and swirling eyes, he groaned a groan that sounded like a moo.

 _ **POOF!**_

Hikaru stared at a black and white cow with tufts of light blue hair coming from the top of its head as the pink smoke cleared up, and then began to clap as she said, "Woo! Nice one, Assless! I've never seen him get hit so hard that it's turned him into an ox before!"

 _"Why do I feel drained?..."_ Kiryu asked with swirling eyes and a reddened face... and snout.

"You went Black on me again, jackass." Yusei replied in a sharp tone.

 _"Oh... I'm so sorry, Kitty..."_

 _ **"STOP CALLING ME**_ **'KITTY'** _ **!"**_ Yusei shouted, actually stamping his feet in anger.

"Whenever you're human again, your uncle's waiting for you on the phone." Jack said as he sat down.

" _M'kay..."_ the ox dizzily replied.

 _"Thanks for that, Jack."_ Yusei whispered. _"Kiryu gets really possessive of me when he turns Black..."_

 _" **Only** when he's Black?"_ Jack questioned.

* * *

Yusei sighed as he chopped vegetables at the counter. "Jack, I'm sorry for acting out so childishly in front of you. Kiryu can just really get to me sometimes..."

"It's nothing really; heck, I tend to act a little babyish around my own cousin." Jack replied.

"And if the whole 'my-cousin-was-hitting-on-me' thing bothers you, don't let it." Yusei went on. "Kiryu's pretty distantly related to us, but since he's of the Zodiac, he knows us pretty well. Its more of a formality than anything else that we call him our cousin. He is pretty distant by blood."

"How _is_ he a Fudo?" Jack asked.

"Let's see..." Yusei took a moment to think. "He's our paternal grandmother's sister's brother-in-law's grandson?... Or is it grandmother's brother-in-law's sister's cousin's... no... grandfather's brother's sister in-law's..." He then smacked his palm to his forehead.

"Forget I asked." Jack said.

Yusei nodded before he went back to chopping veggies.

"Yusei?"

With an audible sigh, Yusei asked, "What do you want, Kiryu-san?"

Kiryu tapped Yusei on the shoulder, and Yusei did them both a favor by setting down the knife in his hand before he turned around. He blinked suddenly at the sight of Kiryu holding out a single white rose. "Sorry for coming onto you in such an intense manner. I just really miss you."

With a soft sigh, Yusei took the rose from his elder and said, "You don't have to apologize."

"No, I do." Kiryu said with a single shake of his head. "We just used to be so close, and now that I'm all the way in the city and you're all the way out here, it's a little difficult for me to transition. Ask Mama Martha; I've been in like, seven fights so far this school year."

Jack nearly dropped the glass he was washing and said, _"Se- **SEVEN FIGHTS?!** "_

"Why don't you let me do the cooking tonight?" Kiryu asked. "I learned all of these Italian dishes from my grandmother. Plus, Hikaru said something about you needing to study for a History test on Monday?"

"Well..." Yusei stared at the rose in his hands before he picked his head up and said, "Well, so long as you're insisting. I still haven't memorized the order of the Prime Ministers..."

Kiryu then pulled Yusei into his arms for a hug and pipped, "Leave it to me, Kitten-chan!"

When the bluenette let him go, Yusei untied his apron and handed it off to him before he turned to Jack and said, "Jack, if he turns Black, you know where the big frying pan is." Just before he was able to step out, the phone went off, and he blinked at the sight of it on the table. He picked it up and answered with, "Hello?" A moment passed before Yusei snapped, away from the phone, **_"Kiryu, you forgot to speak with my father, baka!"_**

Kiryu sweat-dropped sheepishly and said, _"Sorry, sorry..."_ He took the phone from his now-disgruntled cousin's hands and brought it to his ear with a, "Hello?" He hung his head as Dr. Fudo spoke to him. Yusei sighed roughly and exited the kitchen, annoyed once more. " _Sumi masen, Uncle Haka..._ " ("I'm sorry, Uncle Haka...") Kiryu bit his lip before he responded to Dr. Fudo. "Well, I sort of went Black... - _no no_ , don't worry! I didn't break anything. Jack hit me on the head." A moment later, Kiryu whined and replied to Dr. Fudo with, " _But Uuuuuuncllllllle! I can't help it! He's just so **cute!**_ " He breathed out of his nose and responded, "I know you told me to try controlling myself around him, but I couldn't help it! I haven't seen him since summer, and you know how much I _adore him!~_ " He breathed in and sighed. "Yes, Uncle... I promise I'll try to take it easy..." With a nod and another sigh, he said, " _Mm-hm. I understand... r-right... okay, g'bye, Uncle Haka..._ "

Kiryu hung up the phone and placed it on the receiver mounted on the wall. Jack turned around as Kiryu did, drying his hands with a dish towel as he asked, "So what did Dr. Fudo have to say?"

Kiryu, brushing the hair out of his face again, replied with, "Mostly the same things he always tells me. Like to stop being so stubborn and try easing up on things." He then put on the apron that Yusei handed to him, trailing his hands behind himself to tie it. "And I know what you're thinking."

"Not likely." Jack replied. "I'm working on memorizing Pi to twenty places as an extra credit question for a Math test later on this week. I'm also wondering if I'll get bonus extra credit if I memorize more than twenty places."

"Well, I can at least tell what you and Yusei were talking about before I came in here." Kiryu responded, landing his gaze on Jack's. "I get it all the time. What kind of a man falls in love with his little cousin?"

Jack flinched, dropping the towel from his dried hands, and asked, _"F-fa-fa-falls in **love?!** "_ At Kiryu's gaze he quieted his voice and asked, "You're _in love_ with Yusei?"

"I've got nothing against Hikaru," Kiryu began, taking Yusei's place at the cutting board. "Yusei is just very special to me. We've been very close to each other since we were very young. The both of us would get sick a lot, so either his father or my mother would watch us while the others went off to school. I always envied how Hikaru would always get to go off home with him every day..." He focused his eyes on cutting up the vegetables as he said, "I used to hate her for that."

Jack blinked, and was quiet for a moment, before he asked, "But why?"

Kiryu placed the knife down but kept staring at the counter. "Because she's the rat."

"The rat..." Jack repeated.

Kiryu turned his head, looking out of the window behind the sink. "It's in the folktale; the rat tricked the cat into missing the banquet with God, and then the rat rode to the banquet on the ox's back the entire way." He knitted his eyebrows together. "I used to hate that story when I was a little kid. The ox... the ox was a fool, letting the rat use him like that. That's what the adults used to tell us, anyway..." He slipped his eyes closed. "I know they were probably just trying to tease us when they said it, but they could be so cruel sometimes. Crueler than the kids at school who used to laugh at us, isolate us, make fun of us for being different..." He fisted his hands against the cutting board, his arms beginning to shake. "Still, I couldn't help but feel like _I_ was the one the adults were joking about; calling a fool... and after hearing it over and over, I felt so much anger bottled up inside that I couldn't contain it. I used to lose my temper or break down crying over the smallest things. Especially in school."

Kiryu tightened his fists, ceasing the shakes raking through his body. "That was when my Black personality began to appear. I was too much for the bullies, the teachers, and even my parents to handle, so they enrolled me in martial arts, hoping it would give me the physical way to vent that I needed, without inflicting harm on those stupid kids. I enjoyed the training itself, mainly because I used to practice with Yusei, but I could still feel the anger inside of me. Like nothing I did was ever enough to subdue the fire that had appeared so suddenly inside of me." He breathed in and out of his nose, opening his eyes again. "One day, I even snapped at my baby sister when she was just changing the channel on the television. I scared her so badly that she had started to cry, and it snapped me out of it. Especially when she hugged me, turning me into an ox. She used to be so careful around me; tried not to hug me if she could help it so that I wouldn't have to transform. But she clung to me and cried into my neck, wouldn't let go when our mother tried to pry her off of me, and she just kept apologizing and saying _'I love you'_." His forehead wrinkled. "It was then and there that I realized I wasn't mad for no reason. I was mad at the rat. And so, because I didn't want to hurt anyone I loved anymore, I opted to tell her the next day when she came by to pick up Yusei on her way home from school."

* * *

 ** _Kiryu let go of Yusei's hand, a scowl growing on his face as he lunged at Hikaru from the porch, who was only just able to block his strike as he exclaimed,_** _"I hate you, Hikaru!"_

 ** _Hikaru, with her wide, childish blue eyes, blinked at Kiryu and asked, "What? But... but why, Ki-san?"_**

 _"I hate your guts because it's the rat's fault that everybody laughs at the ox! It's the rat's fault that they call the ox a fool and an idiot! It's your fault, you dirty, mean, stinking rat! What makes you so special?! What makes you think that you're worthy to be around the cat?! It's your fault he never even made it to the banquet! Everybody laughs at the ox and the cat because they all think that we're fools! I hate you! I hate that you can hug him and not turn into some ugly animal every time it happens! I hate that this stupid curse makes me so angry and you're the reason why I'm so angry! Because of you, I look like an idiot!"_

 ** _Hikaru stared at Kiryu with wide eyes. Kiryu merely panted and kept his fisted hands at his sides, breathing in and out through his nose like an angry bull. Yusei stood frozen on the porch of Kiryu's house, staring at his twin sister and the cousin he was closest to._**

 ** _"Kiryu, that's not true."_**

 ** _Kiryu narrowed his golden eyes at the childish girl before him._**

 ** _"The story never said anything about the ox being stupid." she spoke in her childish voice. "I always thought that the ox was just... was just being nice to the rat, because the rat is so little."_**

 _"Huh?..."_ ** _Kiryu breathed in confusion, his eyes beginning to shine and soften up._**

 ** _"Maybe the rat was riding on the back of the ox because it couldn't keep up with the others." Hikaru responded. "It was leading the way, but because it was so much littler than the other aminals, it would have taken them a really long time to get to the banquet in time. So maybe a'cause the ox was so big, he said that the rat could ride on his back to lead the way to the banquet so they wouldn't be late. They were told not to be late..."_**

 ** _Hikaru folded her hands behind her back, giving a smile at Kiryu as a gust of wind blew around them._**

 ** _"Ki-san, I like the ox because the ox helped the rat. I don't think the ox is dumb. The ox was just being nice." Her smile widened as she said, "I love you, Ki-san, a'cause you're my big cousin, and a'cause you're nice and really strong, 'cos you're the ox."_**

 ** _Kiryu, shaking now, unraveled his fists and began to stutter._** _"Bu-b-b-b-bu-bu-b-but... but everybody..."_ ** _He clenched his eyes shut and tried to hold back his tears._** _"Everybody says that the ox was stupid. Stupid for letting the rat ride on his back. That the rat was mean. Mean for tricking the cat into missing the party."_ ** _He lifted his hands up and laid them on his head._** _"They said that I'm a fool..."_

 ** _Kiryu didn't hear Yusei's soft footsteps coming up behind him. "Well..." Yusei's little hand laid on his shoulder. "Is it true?" Kiryu lifted his head up and looked at him. "Well. About us, I mean. Is it?" his little voice asked, his childish blue eyes identical to Hikaru's shining with innocence. "Is that what we are? What_ you _are? Are you a fool?"_**

 ** _Kiryu turned his head, looking up at a tree as another breeze fluttered, shaking off cherry blossom petals and carrying them in the wind. Without even realizing it, the tears began to stream down his face._** _"No... no, I'm not..."_ ** _His hands slowly fell from his hair._** _"I... I'm not a fool..."_ ** _He held them against his chest as he began to shake._** _"I'm not a fool..."_

 _"Mm-hm."_

 ** _Kiryu turned his head to Hikaru, now at his side._**

 _"I didn't think so."_

 ** _Simultaneously, the twins hugged their cousin._**

* * *

Kiryu remained quiet, holding his hands over his heart, half-folded as if in prayer.

"After that... after everything I'd said, they still loved me. They still looked up to me. And that's when..." He opened his eyes. "That's when the three of us became close. It was like... all the anger I thought I had felt because of Hikaru... it wasn't there anymore... and I began to lose my temper less and less. My heart had been set free. I was completely surprised. I'd hardly ever interacted with Hikaru before that day, and she turned out to be completely different from the way I'd thought. It had been drilled into my brain up until that day that she was nothing but a cold-hearted rat, who made the cat miss the banquet with God, and rode to it in triumph on the back of the ox. And to think..." He knit his eyebrows together. "If I hadn't snapped at my baby sister... if I hadn't realized I was angry because of the rat... all I'd ever see her as to this very day would be the mean rat who made a fool out of the cat and the ox. But then I really would be a fool." He turned his head to Jack and said, "Because only a fool can be that blind."

Jack exhaled - when had he begun holding his breath in anyway? - and kept his amethyst eyes on Kiryu's gold ones.

"When I think back on how things came to be, I find it a little ironic that the ox and the cat have become so close." Kiryu went on. "All of those people, people of our own family, had been picking fun of me for being the foolish ox, and shunning Yusei because he's the cat. He and I are alike in many aspects, and he means the world to me." Kiryu rolled his head back, staring up at the ceiling. "In fact, I used to hate that he was the fool of the story. He's always been far from a fool. He's so smart, talented, fun, and beautiful. He's the nicest person I know... and that's what I love about him the most. It honestly saved my life."

 _"Saved your life?..."_ Jack uttered without even realizing it wasn't just a thought in his head.

Kiryu then blinked and said, "Wow, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was talking for so long." He then bowed in apology. "I should probably get dinner started." he said as he straightened back up.

"Well, do you need an extra hand?" Jack asked. "I was going to make the stewed leeks."

"You go relax. I'll take care of dinner." Kiryu replied. "I usually help Mama Martha with dinner, so I can handle it on my own. Plus, you're in for a treat. It isn't often I get to make my Italian dishes!"

"Well, if you need the help, I'm a holler away." Jack said before he turned to exit the kitchen. "I guess I'll go help Yusei with his History."

Kiryu nodded and Jack was on his way.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

And there we have it! Our first peek into the extended Fudo family, starting with Kiryu Kyosuke as their distant cousin. :3

I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, and thanks as always for reading.

And Happy Birthday again Sissy-cha!


	10. Chapter 10: The Stubborn Ox, Part 2

Okay... sorry it's been so long since I posted an update, I'm trying to work on chapter 19 at the moment but I'm just a little stuck. Working through it and hopefully will be able to get it done soon.

Until then, have part 2 of 3 of Kiryu's visit to the Fudo household! :3

* * *

 _ **Chapter 10: The Stubborn Ox, Part 2**_

* * *

Hikaru played with the lollipop dangling from her lips with her tongue, and asked, "Hey, you two. Do you ever wonder why the hell we have to learn the Quadratic Formula?"

"Sometimes." Jack replied, leafing through his History text book.

"It's like, when the hell am I going to need to know this?" Hikaru asked. "What is even the point of it? If I'm going to grow up to be a famous musician, do I need the Quadratic Formula to write a song?"

"Onee-chan, we get it. You don't like Math." Yusei said, zipping through his own Math homework like no tomorrow.

"I'm not saying I _hate it_ ; I'm saying I don't see the point to some of the shit they teach us." Hikaru replied.

"I really like solving the problems, actually." Yusei said. "Math and me go together like mashed potatoes and gravy."

"And you and History go together like chocolate and vinegar." Hikaru retorted.

"I'll be done with the homework in a bit, Yusei, so you can use my text book." Jack said.

"Thanks, Jack," Yusei responded with a smile. "I can't believe I forgot my book in my desk..."

"Eh, things happen. You had a momentary lapse. I have them all the time." Jack said.

"Like how, for example?" Hikaru asked, looking across the table at the blonde.

"Well, this one time, I was on the phone with Carly, and I realized, 'Hey, where did I leave my cell phone?' So while I was talking to her, I was looking around for it in all of the places I usually put it down in, and then just when I was about to tell Carly I needed to hang up, I realized I was talking to her on it. I'd thought it was the house phone and I didn't even realize that I'd been using it all along."

With a snort and a chuckle, Hikaru said, "Man, you really are sumthin' special, Assless."

Eyebrows twitching in confusion, Jack said, "Thanks, I think?" He picked up his text book, and just before he could close it, a folded piece of paper came out. "Oh, must've left notes in here again." he said, closing the book and setting it down before he picked up the paper and unfolded it. He blinked and said, "Oh..."

"Hm?" Yusei laid his eyes on the paper, and when he saw what was on it he asked, "Is that a form to participate in the cultural festival?"

Hikaru blinked. "Oh shit, right. I forgot that was coming up!"

"You'd forget your birthday if it weren't the same as mine." Yusei retorted. He then turned his attention to Jack and asked, "What were you thinking about doing?"

"I was thinking I'd sing something for the student performance part." Jack replied. "I'm not half bad, if I say so myself. My mother taught me a lot about music. She used to perform when she was in middle school, high school and college. She said I inherited her musical genes. She taught me how to play the guitar."

"You play guitar?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah; and the banjo and piano." Jack replied.

"Wow. You get around, don't you?" Hikaru asked.

"I suppose."

"What were you thinking about performing?" Yusei inquired.

Jack looked down at the form, which had been half-filled-out already. "I was thinking of something that Mama used to sing with me. There were a lot of songs we'd sing together, but this one's been sticking out in my head for a while. Mama loved music, so she passed everything she knew onto me. Like her mother did to her."

Yusei smiled. "I think it's a sweet idea to sing a song for your mother at the festival."

"Twinny-chan and I can play with ya, if you need help." Hikaru said. "Any excuse to be on stage, I take it."

"It's true, she does." Yusei said with a nod. "Especially if she can make an ass or a fool out of herself."

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt." Jack replied. "So long as we don't bump into each other..."

"Yeah, that'd be bad." Hikaru said with a flick of her hair.

From the kitchen, they then heard Kiryu call, _**"Dinner will be done in half an hour!"**_

 _ **"'Kay, Ki-san!"**_ Hikaru shouted back.

* * *

With the table cleared of text books, notebooks and backpacks, Kiryu announced, "Dinner is served!" as he began to set down the food among the table. He hummed "Be Our Guest" as he did so, which earned a grin, a compliment and a thumbs-up from his female cousin.

In unison, the four were soon sitting down and recited, **_"Itadakimasu!"_** in unison before Kiryu began serving.

"Wow, this all smells great." Jack said, feeling his mouth water a little, and hearing his stomach growling at the scent of the heavenly Italian food.

"Thank you very much," Kiryu said, pouring sauce over spaghetti before he placed a piece of chicken Parmesan atop of it. He passed it to Hikaru, who wasted no time in digging in. "My maternal grandmother has been teaching me how to cook since I was just a little thing." He chuckled and added, "She used to freak out every time she hugged me by accident in the kitchen. She'd always say, _'Kiryu, don't you dare get any fur in the food!'_ "

"What a woman she must be." Jack said with a chuckle.

"That she is." Kiryu replied with a smile. "She's really been so wonderful the past few years..."

"How's your sister doing?" Yusei asked as he passed the plate handed to him off to Jack.

"She's alright," Kiryu replied. "Every day is a little better."

"What's the matter with your sister?" Jack asked, simply placing his plate down as he gave his full attention to Kiryu.

"Our parents died a few years ago," Kiryu said. "She was only eleven. It hasn't been easy for her... especially since every time I try to comfort her, I end up transforming into a cow."

Jack blinked. "But... weren't you talking about your mother just a little while ago?..."

"He was talking about Martha." Yusei said, locking his gaze with Jack's. "Our family is so big, and sometimes when someone passes away and they leave behind a child, their immediate family can't always take care of them, especially if they're of the Zodiac. So Martha takes in the orphaned kids, and raises them as her own."

"She gives us all a second chance." Kiryu said. "I'm lucky to have her. She's a godsend for Nobu and I."

With a soft sigh, Jack landed his eyes on his plate, for lack of better things to do. "My mother passed away in May. I know what you must be going through."

Kiryu's eyebrows unwrinkled, and he stared at Jack with his shimmering gold eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that. Were you an only child?"

A moment later, Jack nodded. "Yeah."

"Guys, if you don't eat soon, I won't leave any leftovers." Hikaru said, giving the two respective men a glare with a piece of chicken and the ends of spaghetti sticking out of her mouth.

Kiryu gave a light-hearted chuckle with a sweat-drop. "Karu, polite girls don't chew with their mouths open." he said as if he were scolding or reprimanding a small child.

"Since when was she polite?" Jack asked.

* * *

The chirping of crickets and buzzing of cicadas serenaded the outside world as Jack laid on his back on the outside porch with an arm over his engorged stomach. "A full stomach has never felt this wonderful before..."

With a chuckle and a smirk, Kiryu flicked on his lighter, sitting on the porch a few feet away from Jack's head. "That's just about the best compliment from a teenage boy that a chef can receive." He lit the cigarette in his mouth, shut his lighter, and leaned back as he took in a long drag.

Jack rolled his eyes upward in order to lay them on Kiryu. "I'm not that much younger than you are. You're still a teenager yourself, aren't you?"

Kiryu exhaled an impressively neat smoke stream from his lips and leaned his head back against the sliding door. "I'm a lot more grown-up than even I realize sometimes. It's just one of the things you have to do when you're someone like me." He chuckled through his nose. "I'm pretty damn pathetic."

Jack watched as the end of the bluenette's cigarette brightened when he took another inhale. "Say, Kiryu? Have we ever met before?"

Quirking an eyebrow, Kiryu exhaled the smoke from his mouth again. "Whaddaya mean, tiger?"

 _'Tiger...'_ Jack pondered the word for a moment before he said, "When I looked you in the eye earlier in the woods, there was just something about you that seemed so familiar. Like we'd met somewhere before."

With his eyes locked onto the light of the moon, Kiryu asked, "Is that so?"

With uncertainty in his voice and even his mind, Jack asked, "You don't think that I had my memory erased when I was younger, do you?"

Kiryu shrugged. "It's hard to say. Word only ever really spreads that someone's had their memory erased... when they've known for a long time. So if I seem familiar and I can't place you either, perhaps that isn't the case." He placed his cigarette to his lips again. "I can't blame you for thinking that, though. All of this curse stuff is pretty big. Especially to an outsider." He took in a few short puffs, and exhaled them justly. "I can't remember the last time an outsider was allowed to keep their memory. Even I hadn't been born yet when it happened." With a chuckle. "Hell, I don't even think the current head of the family had been born yet when it happened, if that shows how long ago it was."

With a bit of guilt on his conscience, Jack's thoughts lingered on the mysterious head of the family for a few moments. How Yusei hesitated to talk about him, and how Hikaru had been attacked by him for merely "speaking out of term". For the sake of knowing, Jack asked, "What's he like?"

"What's who like?" Kiryu asked, cigarette hanging from his lips.

"You know..." Jack went on. "The head of the family."

Kiryu flinched very slightly at that.

"The day that Hikaru went to ask him if my memory needed to be erased, she got into a fight with him for talking when she wasn't allowed to." Jack slipped his eyes closed half-way. "Ever since that day, I keep wondering how on Earth the Fudo family allows someone as cruel as that to be the head of the family. Someone like that... shouldn't be allowed to abuse his power like that. Is it really that important of a position?"

"I'm afraid I can't really answer that in a way that will satisfy you, Jack." Kiryu replied. "Unfortunately, there's just nothing that can be done about him. It's simply his birthright."

"But how can that be it?" Jack asked.

Kiryu let out a final stream of smoke before he took the cigarette from his mouth, and with what appeared to be a small smile on his face, replied with, "All in due time, child." He stubbed it out on the ground with his foot. "All in due time."

Jack, turning onto his side and staring out towards the woods and the flowers, which were closed up for the night, wondered, _'What is it with my elders always referring to me as a child...'_ as his eye slipped closed.

"Say, Jack?"

The blonde opened his eyes and arched his neck to lay his eyes on Kiryu, whose light, silvery blue hair was caught in a late-evening breeze and fluttered in the moonlight.

"Could I ask something of you?" Kiryu inquired. Jack didn't respond, though he continued to speak. "I want you to do your best to look after Yusei. Can you do that for me?"

Jack blinked, and asked, "What for?"

Kiryu smiled. "I can tell already that he thinks highly of you. He may not show it sometimes, but he can be pretty afraid. When I heard that he was the one who requested you don't lose your memories... I knew there had to be a reason why." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Some cousin I am. I love him like nothing else in this world, and yet I can't even protect him. Not even from _him_." He wrapped his arm around his knee. " _Nobody_ can do that." He then managed to smile. "But if there's anything that can make him even a little bit happy, the least that can be done is to support it and make sure it can't disappear." Kiryu opened his eyes and looked up at the sky again. "That's why... I'm asking you to do this for me. Just do whatever you can to look after him; to help him, to cheer him up when he's glum..." With a soft breath out of his nose, he said, "Because God knows how dense his own sister can be sometimes. Even she doesn't notice when he begins to struggle."

Jack's eyebrows rose up in question. "Struggle?"

Kiryu turned his head to Jack. "Don't worry. He isn't struggling with anything right now. Just... keep an eye out for changes in his behaviour. I know that because of the distance between him and I now, he doesn't really have an outside party to notice that he's having trouble with something. With how close the two of you seem to be already, I'm sure it won't be any problem for you to tell when something is wrong with him in the future."

Jack had no idea what is was he should say then and there. But managed a smile as he said, "You're like a true big brother."

"What can I say? That part just comes naturally to me." Kiryu replied, rolling his head back to look at the sky again. A breeze blew again, and his eyes closed. "It's all I really have right now."

A comfortable silence passed them by. Right before...

 _ **"Kiryu Kyosuke, Jack Atlas! You get back inside and close that door before you catch your death!"**_

Hikaru's voice startled the two boys from their shared time, with Kiryu waving a hand at her and saying, "Yeah, yeah," as he stood up and walked back inside.

Jack, as he rolled over and stood up, even went as far as beginning to say, "Who are you, my _moth_ -" before he realized what he was saying. His eyes widened and he stared down at the floor in realization.

"Hm?" Kiryu turned back to the two after he had shut the door. "What's up?" Sakaki then rubbed up against his legs and meowed, so he leaned down to pick her up, letting her settle down against his shoulder.

Jack lifted his hand to his mouth, laying his right index finger knuckle at the corner. "Wow... I haven't said that in months. Not since before..." He let a breath out of his nose. "Usually I'd say that to Carly."

Kiryu blinked, having caught on to the subject in a second. He opened his mouth, but just before he could speak, the sound of running footsteps were heard from the stairs, along with the call of, "Jack! Hey, Jack!"

With a blink, all three of them soon laid their eyes on Yusei as he came into the dining room holding a soft black guitar case in his arms. He approached Jack, and the blonde quirked his eyebrows and asked, "What is it?"

"Well, I..." Yusei began, holding up the guitar case. "I just found my acoustic guitar. I was wondering if you'd play something for me. I'd really like to hear you play."

 ** _"I want you to do your best to look after Yusei... If there's anything that can make him even a little bit happy, the least that can be done is to support it and make sure it can't disappear."_**

With a soft smile, Jack nodded and said, "Sure thing." He noted the happy look in Yusei's eyes and the smile on his face as he took the offered guitar case. "Any requests?"

"Surprise me!" Yusei replied.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

And there we have it! I know it's short compared to the last chapter, but I wanted to post something since it's been a while since I last updated.

Thanks as always for reading, and tune in for the next chapter hopefully sooner then last time!


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